Dreaming of Violet Eyes
by Sleep Warrior
Summary: A young boy with bright blue eyes wakes up one day to find he can't remember anything about his previous life. His only clue is a letter in his pocket supposedly addressed to him from an unknown admirer, but when a man finds him and claims he is his fathe
1. Chapter 1

*NOTE: I re-edited this chapter a bit: nothing significant though. I'm re-working the chapters one by one, mostly for grammar and flow and stuff. I'm not changing any of the content, and once I'm done with this I'll work on finishing up chapter 10.*

Ah, yes, another story by The Sleep Warrior. I decided to post this now, despite the fact that Flames of Fate is still…in the works, and despite the fact that I told some people I would wait to post this until I had worked out some kinks. But I looked over it, and it's not horrible the way it is now.

Also, I know there's a lot of 'Danny gets amnesia' stories floating around, but this one popped in and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. And, there's a bit of an interesting twist that I think you'll all really like. Enjoy!

Full Summary: A young boy with bright blue eyes wakes up one day to find he can't remember anything about his previous life. His only clue is a letter in his pocket supposedly addressed to him from an unknown admirer, but when a man finds him and claims he is his father, he finds himself wondering who the mystery girl from his dreams is and what his father is really up to.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. (sigh…)

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"Danny, wait up!"

The raven-haired boy paused in his tracks by a large oak tree and turned around to search the crowd of excited students departing from the school for his two best friends when he suddenly caught sight of them running out of the main doors. The lavender-eyed Goth girl easily pushed through the huge mass as she rushed down the steps, leaving a wake behind her as well as her companion, a boy wearing a red beret and sporting the latest in techno-gear. Tucker finally staggered up to the tree where Danny was waiting, collapsing against the trunk beside his friend, panting heavily.

"Could you have gone any faster, Sam?" He gasped breathlessly, glaring angrily at the girl, but she just shrugged and smiled at him.

"Sorry, Tuck. But I don't want to spend any more time surrounded by the stench of conformity in that building than I have to," she stated, grimacing as the football team and the cheerleaders passed by.

Danny pushed himself off of the tree and started walking down the sidewalk again, his friends falling in step beside him. Suddenly, Tucker turned to him and grinned.

"Hey Sam, we know Danny feels the same way as you. Dude, you bolted out of Lancer's so fast I'm surprised his clothes didn't blow off. You should have seen his face!" Sam and Tucker chuckled at the memory, and Tucker's face suddenly lit up.

"Wait, you can! I took some digital pics on my PDA." He pulled out the small electronic device and shoved it near Danny's face. Oddly enough he ignored it and kept walking, leaving his two very shocked friends behind. They exchanged a worried look; Danny never passed up a chance to laugh at Lancer.

"Danny, wait up a sec!" Sam called, running after her friend. Tucker soon caught up, and after a few minutes of suspicious looks passed between them, Sam spoke up.

"Danny, what's wrong? Is everything all right?"

The blue-eyed boy just shook his head and kept walking, causing his friends to exchange looks again.

"Dude, school is out for the year. We're juniors now. You're usually jumping up and down, ready to have some fun, but instead you're a gloomy mess. You can't fool us; something's up."

Danny sighed wearily and paused on the sidewalk, carefully studying his friend's faces.

"All right. But promise me you won't laugh?" he asked. Sam and Tucker nodded slowly, waiting for Danny to continue. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and averted his eyes.

"Well, it's really just a…a feeling, but I can't help thinking that something bad is going to happen." He quickly brushed past his friends, not wanting to hear their laughter at his paranoia.

"I know, I know, it's just a feeling," he continued, "but it's so strong that I can't ignore it." Instead of the laughter he'd expected, his friends fell in beside him with serious thoughtful expressions.

"Danny, why didn't you tell us before?" Sam demanded. "We wouldn't laugh at something as serious as that. After all, your intuition is right…usually."

"Yeah, you know we're always here for you, man," Tucker joined in. "We trust you; if you think something's going to happen, then we're with you. And to be honest, I've been feeling the same thing." Danny sent him a disbelieving look, causing the techno-geek to quickly correct himself.

"Well, it's not as strongly as you, probably, but it's been pretty quiet ghost-wise lately, and that never means anything good. At first I thought it was just because you're so powerful, since you have had your powers for over a year now. But something's not right."

Danny smiled at his friends as they stopped outside Tucker's house.

"Thanks guys. That really means a lot to me." They smiled back at him reassuringly, glad that he was cheering up some. Sam quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, you guys want to go see that new 'horror' movie that came out? I hear it's full of ghosts and haunted houses," she said with a laugh.

"Sure, I don't have anything going on," Tucker said, checking his PDA. Sam looked over at Danny, who nodded his head.

"Me neither. How about you guys meet me at my house around seven?"

"Sounds good to me," Sam said. Tucker nodded before walking up the path leading to his front door.

"Bye, guys! See ya later!" He called, waving a hand at them as he disappeared into the house. Sam and Danny waved back at him and continued down the street, a comfortable silence falling between them. After a few minutes they reached Sam's rather large house and paused in front of it.

"So, um…see ya later?" Danny asked softly, staring at his feet. Sam nodded and looked up at the sky as if she had seen something interesting.

"Yeah…" Danny nodded as well and slowly turned back towards the street. "See ya, then." He'd shuffled off into the street a ways when Sam's voice called him back.

"Wait!" She shouted. He spun around hopefully, looking back at her nervous face.

"Yeah? Sam, what is it?" As he walked back up to her she shuffled her feet a bit and stuck a hand into her pocket, pulling out a small folded note.

"Here, take this." She held it out to him and as he stepped forward to take it his ghost sense went off. A relieved look flashed across Sam's face, but it was quickly replaced by concern.

"You can read it later. I'll run upstairs and grab a spare thermos; go ahead and go after it, I'll catch up." She turned and bolted into the house, leaving a bewildered Danny behind her. He shook his head and ducked into the alley behind her house, but before he transformed into his ghost-mode he unfolded the crumpled note. It looked well-read, and the seams were worn. Peering down at it in the shadows, his eyes widened as the notes contents were revealed.

_Danny,_

_I really don't know how to say this. I've been trying to tell you for the past few months, but I haven't been able to muster up the courage. But lately, I just had this feeling that it needs to be said. This past year, we've both changed a lot, and things have changed between us as well. And I'm pretty sure that you've noticed it too. If you don't feel the same, we can just pretend that none of this ever happened and just be friends. But I have to tell you how I feel before it completely tears me apart._

_I love you._

_-Sam_

Danny leaned against the wall, running a hand through his silky ebony hair and re-reading the note. He couldn't get his mind to believe what he was seeing; he just couldn't get his brain to accept that what his heart had long hoped for was finally coming true.

A few minutes passed and the shock wore off, a huge smile growing on his face. He punched a fist into the air in joy, leaping and shouting in excitement, his voice echoing against the alley walls.

"YES!"

But his revelry was short lived; as soon as the cry of delight left his mouth a large green spiked club smashed down beside him, tearing a huge hole in the pavement, accompanied by a boisterous roar.

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Short, yes, but they'll get longer AND better. Please review; reviews are the only things that keep my stories alive. Without them, I really feel/see no reason to continue. So if you want more, tell me!

Oh, and most of the wonderful descriptions and the note are all the products of my faithful betas hard work. She's gotten through 2 of my stories already, and there's more coming today! THANK YOU DARKFLAME1516! LOVE YA!

The Sleep Warrior


	2. Chapter 2

*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

I hope this chapter is just as good as the first one; your responses really blew me away! I never expected that many people to like it so much! Thank you!

Another thing; if you guys like my stuff, I have the best stories for you to check out! Boxghost228 has THE most awesome stories I've ever read! The character depth is amazing, and he really does a great job developing his ideas. Please check them out! I promise you won't regret it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom! Geez, get off of my back.

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Danny jumped back in surprise as pieces of pavement flew past his face; he'd completely forgotten the ghost attack in his moment of elation. Quickly shoving the note into his pocket, he transformed and flew up to meet his new foe. The ogre-like ghost straightened himself as he realized his prey was no longer in the alleyway, another loud roar grumbling out of his cavernous mouth. Danny quickly turned intangible as ghostly spittle flew towards him, letting it hit the building behind him. He grimaced in disgust.

"That'll be fun to clean up." Pushing the thought out of his mind, he focused back in on the fight. He was vaguely aware of Sam shouting up at him, warning him of the huge club that was headed right towards his head. Ducking and weaving, he flew towards the enraged ghost, ecto blasts leaving his hands and shooting towards the ogre's ugly face. They all made contact, but none seemed to phase the monster. He now floated right in front of its face, forming a huge blast in his hands as he tried to avoid the swinging hands.

The blast left his hands and collided with the ogre's nose, sending it stumbling back a couple of paces and giving Danny enough time to swoop down to Sam.

"Sam! Get out of here!" Her defiant face glared at him sullenly.

"I'm not leaving you here, Danny! It's too dangerous." The huge club swung down towards them, and Danny grabbed Sam's hand to turn them both intangible. It smashed down where they were standing, sending shivers up both of their spines. Flying off behind a nearby building, Danny released Sam's hand.

"And that's exactly why you can't be here! It's way too dangerous for you!" He turned to face her, staring into her eyes challengingly.

"Which is exactly why you need me here! That thing could pulverize you in a heartbeat—you need back-up!" she spat angrily. "If I leave who knows what could happen to you!"

Danny took in a large breath, trying to calm himself before he completely blew up at Sam. "Look, Sam, I don't want you to get hurt. Tucker's probably on his way right now, and mom and dad aren't going to be far behind." Sam opened her mouth to protest, but Danny quickly cut her off.

"No! When Tucker gets here, I'm sending both of you back to my house to activate the town's ghost shield." By now Sam was glaring daggers at him,

"Why won't you let us help you, Danny? Without us you would have been dead hundreds of times already! I-I don't want you to get hurt. What if you don't come back?" Looking into her bright eyes, Danny could see the tears that were threatening to spill out. He caught his hand before it crept up to her face, jerking it back to his side.

"I know, Sam. I know. But this time it's different. This guy is not going to be easy for me to beat, I'll admit it. But he's not going to kill me. I'll make it through this one, I promise. Mom and Dad will hopefully be more helpful than anything else, and we can beat this guy. Just promise me you'll stay out of trouble?" A loud crash erupted behind them as the building behind the one they were in front of collapsed. Desperation taking hold, Danny gently pushed Sam towards his house while turning to face the oncoming ghost.

"Please! Just go!" She hesitated slightly, turning back to look at him again.

"Promise me you'll come back, Danny." Bright blue eyes met teary lilac ones, and he nodded.

"I promise, Sam. I'll be back." A small smile played across her features before she turned and bolted down the street towards his house. He watched her retreating figure until it rounded a corner, then turned to face the oncoming ogre.

xxxx

Sam ran down the street towards Danny's house, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill down her face. Turning a corner, she paused behind a building and peered back at Danny. He was facing the huge ghost, who had just demolished the building they had been standing in front of. They seemed to size each other up for a moment before continuing their fight, the ogre clearly having the upper hand. She clamped a hand over her mouth as he was slammed into a six-story building, every floor shaking and trembling with the impact. Before Danny could shake himself off, the ogre swept him off of the cracked wall and into the street, its large foot slamming down onto the battered halfa.

"DANNY!" She immediately swung back around the corner, knowing she'd just both endangered herself and let Danny know she hadn't left yet. After a few terrifying moments, she gathered up her courage and peered around the corner, a small gasp of relief escaping her lips as she saw Danny emerge behind the ghost and start attacking him, clearly leading him away from her hiding spot.

Muttering angrily to herself, she spun away from the fight and sprinted to Danny's house, passing a speeding GAV on the way. She bolted into Fenton Works, barely crossing the threshold before Jazz stopped her.

"Sam! What's going on?" The elder Fenton sibling looked frazzled; her hair was disheveled and her eyes looked sleep deprived. Sam's eyes widened in surprise, her jaw falling slightly open.

"Jazz, what happened to you? You're a mess." Jazz glared at Sam, running a slightly shaking hand through her messy hair.

"It's nothing; I'm just having some problems with my entrance paper." Sam nodded slowly, but as the sirens started up she remembered why she was there in the first place.

"Danny! Oh my gosh, I almost forgot." Jazz cocked an eyebrow at Sam, worry etching itself onto her face.

"What's happening, Sam? Mom and Dad looked a bit scared when they left earlier, and Danny should have been home." Sam gulped slightly, tears re-forming in her eyes.

"Some huge ghost is attacking the town, and…" she looked up at Jazz, unable to continue as the tears burst from her. Sliding down the wall, she put her arms onto her upraised knees.

"He…he…Jazz, it's horrible." Jazz wrapped her arms around her shaking frame, trying to comfort her as she sobbed into her arms.

"Shh, Sam, it's okay. It can't be that bad, Danny'll be okay. He's always made it before, how can this be any different. It's okay." Sam raised her head sadly, looking up into Jazz's concerned eyes.

"You don't understand, Jazz, he's losing. He can't beat that thing on his own, we have to help him!" The red haired girl pulled Sam to her feet, dragging her towards the back of the house.

"Well then we'll just have to go help him! Call Tucker and tell him to meet us over here to stock up on weapons, and I'll start pulling things out of the weapons vault." Sam stopped in her tracks as she pulled out her phone, a confused look crossing her face.

"You guys have a weapons vault?"

xxxx

Tucker scrambled through the streets of Amity, trying to get downtown through the mobs of people. It seemed for every one step he took towards the ghost fight, the crowd pushed him back two. He wasn't getting anywhere. A loud insistent ringing reached his ears over the screams of the crowd, and as he pulled out his cell he recognized Sam's number.

"Hey, Sam, where are you?" he yelled over the crowd's noise. "I can't get to Danny, the crowd's too thick." He could hear a muffled reply, but couldn't make out what she said.

"Sam, Sam! I can't hear you, let me get somewhere more quiet." A muted agreement drifted through to his end, and he spotted a deserted candy store a few paces ahead. Pushing his way through the frenzied crowd, he fell into the store and shoved the door shut behind him.

"Okay, Sam, what's going on?" He was surprised at the answer he got; Sam was clearly worried.

"Tucker, you have to help us! Danny's not going to make it if we don't do something! You have to get over here now!" Her frantic voice shrieked into his ear, making him wonder how he couldn't hear her outside.

"Sam, where are you?" Panic started welling up inside of him as he worried not only for Danny's safety, but the safety of the entire town. Things hadn't looked too bright with the frantic crowds, but if Sam was losing her cool it couldn't be good.

"I'm at Danny's, in the weapons vault. You have to get over here now!" Looking out the window at the surging crowd, Tucker shook his head slightly.

"I'll be over there as fast as I can, Sam. Don't do anything without me unless you have to." He hung up the phone on her, not even waiting for her reply. As he plunged back into the crowds, a stray thought ran through his head. _Danny has a weapons vault?_

xxxx

Ducking, dodging and weaving were the only thoughts running through Danny Fenton's mind. The ogre was thrashing around wildly, smashing into nearby buildings in its blind rage. Danny had managed to infuriate it enough that it followed him, but so far he'd been unable to get it out of town. Each street he tried had swarming crowds of panicked people, so he'd been forced to keep to the interior part of town. So far the mall was half gone and most of the office buildings were hopelessly damaged.

Danny gritted his teeth as his hands began to charge with ectoplasmic blast. _I've got to get him out of here._ He flew around the distracted beast, blasting his back. It screeched out in pain, flailing around to face its attacker.

"Hey big fat and ugly; look at me." The monster seemed to recognize that Danny was talking to it, and it angrily narrowed its eyes. It gripped its club tightly, slowly advancing onto the wary halfa. _Oh crud, maybe I shouldn't have called him ugly._ He backed up slightly; preparing himself for the crushing blow he knew would come when a loud screeching was heard on the streets below him.

Both ghosts looked down at the Fenton RV as it swerved into fighting position, guns flaring up and aiming at the ogre. Danny took the opportunity presented to him by his parent's arrival to start bombarding the ogre with ecto-blasts, thoroughly confusing it as it tried to determine which foe to concentrate on.

Maddie and Jack were thankfully ignoring him, helping him distract the ghost so they could get rid of it more easily. Between the three of them, they managed to lure the ghost out of the main part of downtown Amity, but left a considerable trail of destruction and debris behind them.

The ogre was still swinging wildly by the time they reached the outskirts of town, which was thankfully deserted. Danny was readying an ecto-blast when something hit him in the back, propelling him towards his waiting foe. He managed to glance behind him to see what hit him and was met with the glowing green of the town's ghost shield as it expanded to cover the entire city.

The two dueling specters were pushed to the outskirts of town, and Danny took the chance to fire a few ecto-blasts at the confused and shocked ogre as it tried to calculate what had just happened to it.

As the ghost re-gained its senses, Danny realized he would need a significant advantage if he was going to win. Quickly taking in his surroundings, he saw a swampy area off in a nearby field and immediately noticed he would be able to lose it in the trees. He took off towards the thickly-foliaged area with the ogre hot on his heels. The monster clearly did not realize that it was a game of hit and run, blindly raging after Danny in hopes of destroying the pest like a person swats a fly away. Danny descended into the safety of the trees, quickly weaving his way to the inner part. He felt his energy diminishing, but he ignored his fading strength and turned to face his foe as it came crashing through the wooded area, a large ecto-blast forming in his hands. As soon as he got the ogre right where he wanted it, he gave all he had, blasting the huge creature into a nearby grove of trees. Thinking it was thoroughly defeated when it made no move to rise, Danny approached it with a cocky smirk on his face. The creature suddenly swung its arms around, the massive club catching Danny in the back of his head and throwing him to the murky ground, breaking a fallen tree in the process.

Jumping up to his feet, he reached behind him and pulled out the dented and battered Fenton Thermos, pointing it at his wallowing foe. He could feel his knees wanting to give in, but he summoned all the strength he could find and fired. It was sucked into the bright blue beam, screaming in frustration as it was defeated. Danny slowly slapped the cap on, dropping to his knees and returning to his human form as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. His eyelids drooped downward, and he could feel strength being sapped from him as his body caught up with his injuries. The wound on the back of his head sent his head throbbing, and various cuts and bruises began to ache.

"No, I have to stay awake…" he murmured softly. "I have to make sure everyone's okay, that Sam's okay. I have to…" His entire body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, his eyes fully closing while streaks of red blood ran down his face and into a murky puddle.

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:D Ah, such a lovely cliffie, don't you think? A big round of applesauce for Rose Garden Twilight! *yes, I said applesauce* She really helped me out a lot with that last part; a few of the sentences are hers too, but I don't know how to let you know which ones without disturbing flow. So send your thanks in a review, and I'll pass any and all praise along to where it's deserved!

Anywho, the weapons vault thing was thrown in because this is such a serious fic, and I wanted to lighten it up a tad before I threw this to ya and jumped into the big stuff. Chapter 3 is written…just not very well. It's only about 2 pages, and I'm having some severe writers block on expanding it. Plus my work schedule has really been messing with my system; I'm not feeling to great anymore because of it. Ugh. But I'm really trying to work on it; promise! It's already been sent off for editing. I'm hoping to get it up within a week, but it's not really up to me. Thanks for reviewing!

~~TSW~~


	3. Chapter 3

*Note: Re-edit is up! Enjoy!*

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"_Where are you?" A raven-haired girl was calling out for him, but she couldn't see him no matter what he did or said. She seemed desperate to find him, and with every passing minute her voice became more and more distant. He ran after her retreating figure, desperation welling up inside of him as she slipped further away from his sight and into the foggy mists…_

The bright sun pelted down on the young boy as he slowly opened his eyes, causing them to squint shut almost immediately. Moaning loudly, he rolled over onto his stomach, emptying its contents onto the marsh grass below him. He slowly inched away from the remains of whatever he'd eaten and pulled his head onto his knees, tentatively fingering the back of his head. It hurt; whatever it had been that hit him had done quite a bit of damage. His fingers were stained red when he pulled them back, and a small trickle of blood down his neck told him that he'd re-opened a wound.

Slowly raising his head, he gazed at a destroyed swamp; the trees were snapped and flattened, and the breaks looked quite fresh, as if whatever had demolished them had only just left the area. There was a huge dent a few feet from him, filled with crushed bushes and trees but with no indication of what had caused the damage. The throbbing in the back of his head intensified when he tried to look off to either side, so he set himself back down on the ground to ease the pain and figure out how he was going to get home. As his head settled onto the hard ground, a shocking realization hit him.

"Wait…where is home?" A sharp wave of panic flooded through him as he realized he had no idea who he was. Fear invaded his being, causing him to tremble slightly. Who was he? What had happened to cause such a large gash on the back of his head? Why was he there? Did the swamp mean anything? He tried to think back, but his mind was blank. He had absolutely no idea who he was.

xxxx

It had been hours since Sam, Tucker and Jazz had met up with the elder Fentons, who were quite proud of themselves for pushing the ghosts out of town. All three teens had been well prepared to help out their super-hero friend, but upon finding out he was miles out of town, they dejectedly turned back home.

Sam now sat on the Fenton's couch as they prepared to go out and look for their missing member, absently staring out the window as she waited for Danny to come home. _It shouldn't have taken him this long; he should be back by now. _A part of her was nervous at the thought of his arrival; he could have read the note, and she didn't know if she really wanted to face him right after her confession. She'd almost left a few times, wanting to wait at her home, but something in her mind nagged at her to stay until he came back.

"Sam, dear, you should probably head home. We're about to go out and look for him; we'll call you if he turns up." She looked up into Mrs. Fenton's worried face and shook her head slightly.

"No, I couldn't do that. I need to know he's okay; can't I go with you?" Hesitating slightly, a strained smile appeared on Maddie's face.

"I'd let you, but I think it's best if you just wait at home. I don't want your parents taking any drastic measures if they find out we let you come with us, especially with the way Jack drives." Sam scowled deeply at the mention of her parents; they weren't pleased that she was at the Fenton's in the first place.

Jack barreled into the house with a loud banging, guns charged and ready.

"The RV's ready to go, Maddie." She straightened from her position and grimly checked her weapons.

"All right, let's go find our boy." Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she leapt off of the couch, charging out the door and into the waiting RV.

"If that ghost hurt Danny, I swear I'll rip it apart molecule by molecule!" Jack bellowed as he followed his wife out of the house. The large vehicle barreled down the street and around a corner, frightened pedestrians jumping out of its way.

As Sam watched the dust settle behind the RV, a hand fell onto her shoulder.

"He'll be fine, Sam. You should probably go home and get some rest now." Jazz's comforting voice sounded from behind her, and a huge sigh left Sam's mouth. Spinning around, she confronted her best friend's older sister.

"Jazz, I can't do that and you know it. I can't just go home when Danny's missing, especially after a fight like this. For all we know he's lying in a ditch somewhere…or worse…I can't just sit at home twiddling my thumbs until your parents get back because you and I both know they won't find him; they won't even think to look out in the swamp. We have to do something!" Breathlessly finishing her rant, Sam finally noticed that her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. Slowly letting out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding in, she relaxed her fists and shoulders and turned her head to look out the window once more.

"I know just what you mean, Sam. I feel like that every time he goes off to fight a ghost and I'm not there. It's pointless, but that's just the way I am. I care about him, and so I worry. But right now we need to trust him. He might still be out there fighting it, or he could be taking care of something else. He'll be okay, Sam. Danny knows how to take care of himself."

_I care about him, and so I worry…_ "I know, but I can't just leave him out there all alone. I need to know that he's okay." Jazz sighed, rubbing her temples wearily.

"Sam, you have to trust me on this one. We can't just go rushing out there without knowing what's really going on. If he's not back by tomorrow morning, I'll help you look, but you have to promise me that you won't do anything foolish in the meantime." Realizing she couldn't win an argument against a future psychiatrist, Sam grabbed her coat.

"Fine, I won't do anything 'foolish.' Happy?" She snapped. Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door behind her and trudged off down the street, deciding that she'd limit her search to the inner city instead of the swamp like she'd originally planned. _Jazz won't be happy…but I just have to know that he's all right…_

xxxx

Tucker Foley dejectedly plopped down onto a metal bench in the park, sighing heavily as his weary bones and muscles relaxed. He'd been out searching for his missing friend ever since he'd first found out that Danny hadn't come home, but now it was getting close to curfew and he didn't know what else to do. The marsh was too far away for the young techno-geek to walk to by himself and he knew his parents would get suspicious if he asked them to drive him out there, so he'd stuck to searching the destroyed parts of the city. After hours of walking and asking questions, the boy had come no closer to finding out the fate of his friend than he'd been when he started out.

Soft footsteps approached him, and he looked up to see his other best friend walking towards him, looking no better than he felt.

"Hey, Tuck." She sighed as she sat down next to him, resting her chin in her hands as she looked out at the lamp-lit streets.

"Hi, Sam. No luck with the search?" She shook her head, a small tear finding its way down her cheek.

"No, I didn't find anything. I just know he's out in that swamp, Tucker, he has to be. He should've been back by now, so something must have happened. We have to get out there and look for him."

Tucker nodded, thinking back on what his friend had said earlier. "We'll find him, Sam. I only wish I'd paid more attention to him earlier when he said he felt something coming. What if this whole thing was some sort of trap? What if the reason we hadn't seen a ghost in a while was because someone was trying to get Danny out of their way?" Sam's head flung around at his statement, terror flitting through her eyes.

"Tucker, how can you say that? It's probably just a coincidence that no ghosts showed up before that ogre did, you can't prove that someone planned this." Her hands wrung together as she spoke, and Tucker could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

"Sam, it's okay, I'm sorry. I was just bringing up a possibility; I'm not saying that's what happened." She stared up at him sadly, fear for her missing friend flowing out of her gaze.

"I know, Tucker, I know. I'm sorry I snapped, I'm just….worried. He's never gone missing like this before." Tucker stood up from the bench, stretching his weary muscles and yawning.

"Come on, Sam, we'd better head home. There's nothing else we can do about it tonight." At first he wondered if she heard him, but after a slight hesitation she joined him on the sidewalk. They walked back towards the residential area of town together, both concentrating on their silent worries and praying that their friend would be all right.

xxxx

Hours after deciding it would be better to find someone to help him than sit on the ground wondering who he was and how he'd gotten into that swamp, the blue-eyed boy found himself in the middle of a cornfield by the edge of a gravel-covered road, hazy fields wandering off in every direction as far as he could see. He let out a frustrated sigh and plopped to the ground.

"Dang it! I've been wandering for hours, my head hurts, I'm starving and there's no one in sight. Oh, and did I happen to mention that I have no idea who I AM!" Screaming at the darkening sky only made his head throb worse, so he rested his forehead against his scuffed knees, closing his eyes as the pain slowly subsided. After a few minutes, he once again took in his bleak surroundings.

"Who am I?" he mused to himself. Shifting slightly, he noticed something poking into his leg. Thinking it was a rock or a stick, he swept his hand underneath him to clear the area only to find that whatever was sticking him was in his pocket. Reaching a curious hand into the cloth folds, it came in contact with a crumpled piece of paper and a pencil. A small flame of hope burst inside of him as he pulled it out, hoping it might give him some clue as to who he was. He quickly opened it, greedily scanning its contents for an answer.

_Danny,_

_I really don't know how to say this. I've been trying to tell you for the past few months, but I haven't been able to muster up the courage. But lately, I just had this feeling that it needs to be said. This past year, we've both changed a lot, and things have changed between us as well. And I'm pretty sure that you've noticed it too. If you don't feel the same, we can just pretend that none of this ever happened and just be friends. But I have to tell you how I feel before it completely tears me apart._

_I love you._

_-Sam_

A strong feeling of shock washed over him as he read the note, but he still had no idea who he was or why he was feeling so shocked.

"Danny…" The name rolled off of his tongue, flowing with the ease of a much-used name. "Danny, that must be my name. I wonder where this note came from? And who's Sam?"

For what felt like hours, he sat on the edge of the road, staring at the confusing piece of his unknown life, mulling over the familiarity of both names.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he jumped when he heard an unexpected noise. Lifting his head from the paper, he struggled to his feet and stared in shock at the long black limo stretched out before him. Cautiously walking towards it, he caught the barest glint of silver hair as the back window slowly rolled down.

XXXX

REVIEW PLEASE! :)

~TSW~


	4. Chapter 4

*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

Woot, chapter four!

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Gaping openly at the unexpected car, the last thing the boy expected to hear fell from the elderly man's lips.

"Daniel? What are you doing all the way out here?" He stumbled back a few paces, not quite sure where this man fit into his missing life. Meaningless sounds tumbled from his mouth as he vaguely tried to throw his thoughts into order. _He knows me? Who is he? My name really is Danny? So –wait, why…who...I think I know him, but I can't figure out anything! Something about him is vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure… _

Snapping his mouth shut, he looked closer at the man peering expectantly at him from the car, confusion occasionally flickering through his carefully placed expression. Deciding the man seemed to pose no threat to him at the moment, Danny asked the only question that he could manage to spit out.

"You know me?" The man seemed taken aback by his answer, a strong wave of shock racing across his face until it was replaced by a calmer, calculating expression.

"Well of course I know you, Daniel. How could I not know my own son?" A small, amused chuckle followed his statement, and Danny could only stare at him in shock. _Son? Then he's my…my dad. Wow, that was conveniently lucky. It doesn't seem right somehow, but he did know my name and he seems to know me. And what reason would he have to lie to me anyway? Maybe he'll be able to help me remember how I got like this. _

"So…so I'm your son?" The man opened the door and ushered the young boy in beside him, slipping over to the adjoining seat and opening a small compartment. He pulled out a can of soda and handed it over to him, smiling warmly at him.

"Of course; you're Daniel Masters, of that I'm quite sure. Why would I pick up some random boy on the side of the road? It's not like I have some evil plot to make you my son, kill your real father and marry your mother." He laughed heartily at his own statement, but the humor of it was lost on Danny. Wiping his eyes and holding his side, Danny's father straightened up and peered carefully at the young boy.

"You've been missing for days now, and I was starting to get quite worried about you." A heavy frown creased the man's face at this, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'm guessing you have no idea what happened to you, but maybe if you tell me everything you can remember I might be able to piece something together." So Danny told him everything he could remember, from waking up in a strangely deserted and destroyed swamp to the wounds he'd found on his body. But for some reason he didn't feel it was right to tell his dad about the note he'd found in his pocket, instead skipping over that part completely. Fortunately, his dad didn't seem to realize he'd left anything out, instead silently trying to piece together the puzzle Danny had laid before him.

"Hmm, quite interesting." He murmured after a few minutes. "I wonder how you ended up in that swamp in the first place. My guess would be a ghost fight, but what ghost would cause that much damage?" At the mention of ghosts, something stirred inside of Danny.

"Ghosts?" he asked skeptically. "What would ghosts have to do with anything? Why would I end up in a swamp because of a ghost? They don't even exist…do they?" His father studied him more closely, a worried look placing itself on his face.

"You really don't remember anything at all, do you little badger?" Danny shook his head dejectedly, still wondering what ghosts would have to do with him losing his memory. He looked up at his father expectantly, carefully watching the man's face. His gut feeling told him that the man was not to be messed with or interrupted. After a few minutes of silence his father finally seemed to remember he was not alone in the car and pulled himself from his musings.

"Ah, well don't worry too much; I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end. I'm going to call home and tell the staff to ready your room for your arrival." And with one last overly-affectionate smile, the man turned away from his son and buried himself in his conversation.

Now that his father was immersed in his plan-making, Danny had the chance to look at the car he was in. It was fairly well furnished, with a mini fridge, microwave and personal air conditioning for each seat. The leather black seats were shining brightly, not a scratch to be seen on one of them, and the deep red carpet was free of any debris. Idly scanning the controls on the panel next to him, he was surprised to see that the car was also equipped with complete massage vibrations in each seat and a huge stereo system. _Wow, this is a really nice car! What kind of job does he have that could even let him afford something this nice; it must have cost a fortune! _

Resisting the strong urge to play with the newfound buttons, Danny shifted in his seat and stared out at the rapidly changing landscape as his mind wandered back to his present problem. Despite the fact that he'd now found his dad and was on his way home, he still couldn't remember anything about his past life. _I just wish I could remember who I really am; I don't even know what my favorite color is, much less who my favorite band was, or my favorite food, or my friends, or even who I had a crush on. _His last thought brought back the memory of the note that was sitting in his pocket, written to him by an unknown admirer. _Who is she? I think I knew her, or I wouldn't have felt so shocked when I read it. But was it a good shock or a bad shock? Did I like her back, or was she just some random girl I barely even knew?_ He glanced over at his father, who was still making plans for their return, and a slight feeling of dread washed over him. _Why don't I trust him enough to tell him about the note; if he told me who she is I might remember something about my past. Anything would be better than not knowing anything. I just want to remember. _

Heaving one last heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams of a black haired, violet eyed girl.

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The elder halfa scowled impatiently as the phone rang, waiting for his butler to pick it up. After what seemed like hours, a deep, rough voice answered the phone.

"Master's residence, how may I help you?" As the bored voice registered in his head, Vlad almost completely lost his temper at the lazy ghost.

"How many times have I told you to never answer the phone? Where's Johnson, you should know better than to be trying to do his job, you bumbling idiot! And what if someone had recognized the echo in your voice!" He quickly softened his grip on the car phone as he heard it crack ominously, trying to get his temper under control. There was a slight shuffling on the other end, followed by a rather loud crash and bad-tempered muttering.

"I'm quite sorry about that, sir, but I will not tolerate him taking over my job like that. I still don't trust that mechanical menace, sir, as you well know, and a well-placed blast seems the only way to get his attention." A surge of annoyance ran through the billionaire at his butler's words, but he bit back the rush of anger knowing that he could not afford to re-hire a new butler if he had to eliminate Johnson.

"Never mind that, Johnson, I have a job for you to do. I've finally…acquired my son, and I expect his rooms to be ready for his arrival tomorrow afternoon." His sudden announcement was met with a surprised silence on the other end of the phone.

"Johnson, are you deaf man? I said I want Daniel's room ready by the time we get home tomorrow. You know what to do, and I expect it to be completed by tomorrow afternoon." The stunned butler finally found his words again, spluttering his consent.

"Y-yy-yes, Mr. Masters sir, yes sir, the room will be furnished just as you required by the time you both arrive tomorrow, sir, I'll personally oversee it Mr. Masters sir." Vlad bit his lower lip as he tried not to completely blow up at his butler.

"Good. I shall see you then." He abruptly hung up the phone, not wanting to hear any more groveling from the unpleasant old man.

Settling back into the overstuffed seat, Vlad reveled in his luck at having Danny fall right into his hands, completely ignorant and malleable. _After all this time, he's fallen right into my plans without even knowing it. I can't believe my luck; to have found him out in the middle of a corn field with no knowledge of who or what he is, it's just too good to be true! Now I'll finally be able to kill Jack Fenton and win Maddie's heart; she'll finally see that she was a fool to choose that bumbling idiot, and together we can rule the Ghost Zone, and eventually the world! Danny will be my heir, the unquestioning, loyal, devoted son I've always dreamed of._

Glancing over at the sleeping form of his newly-found son, he frowned slightly at the dried blood on the back of the boy's head. _Now if only I could find the ghost that did this to him…what ghost would be powerful enough to leave that kind of mark on his head? It must have been huge; no ghost I am aware of could have enough force behind his blow to completely knock the boy's memory out. Well, there are a couple, but as far as I know they're both locked up in Walker's prison and aren't likely to get out any time soon. _The thought was quickly brushed away as a smug feeling settled in around the elder halfa.

_I finally did it; Danny is my loyal minion now, and there is nothing standing between me and complete revenge except Maddie, but she won't be too much of a threat once she realizes I have her precious son in my grasp. She'll have no choice but to join me, and I will be unstoppable! _

Vlad leaned over and rummaged through the mini-fridge, pulling out a celebratory bottle of champagne. Smiling evilly at the sleeping figure across from him, he lifted the glass in a one-sided toast.

"Here's to a perfectly executed plan."

XXXX

Hah, tres bien! I absolutely love it. :D Tell me what you guys think of it in a wonderfully lovely review!


	5. Chapter 5

*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

And here's Chapter 5! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. :(

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Sam wandered aimlessly through the deserted and destroyed streets of Amity Park, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend. It had been four days since the attack and there was still no sign of the missing halfa. His family was worried sick and the police were still searching through the rubble for all of the missing persons, a place Sam knew they'd never find him. She knew if he was to be found it would be in the swamp where the battle apparently ended. She, Jazz, and Tucker had raced out there as soon as the sun had risen the day after the attack and had spent the day combing through its murky depths. Near the end of the evening they'd stumbled across a damaged clearing; broken trees and branches littered the area, and huge skid marks could be seen everywhere. Their hope had risen upon seeing the site, but after hours of searching the only thing they found was the dented Fenton Thermos, the captive ghost still locked inside.

The dejected trio had returned to the site each day, hoping to find some sign as to the halfa's whereabouts, but the only clues that had shown up were some dried blood stains and a few scattered footprints leading off into a nearby corn field, where they were soon lost amidst the towering stalks. Jazz had suggested that they take the day off to collect themselves, but Sam hadn't been able to rest knowing Danny was still out there somewhere. Seeing the destruction the ogre had caused to the city only made her depression worse, but she couldn't make herself care about the city itself; it only reminded her that her best friend was still missing. _God, I hope you're all right Danny…_

Across the street a crowd had gathered around a destroyed apartment building, the cries of the former occupants drifting down the street as they mourned the loss of their homes and possessions. _At least they're alive; they can rebuild their lives, but what about Danny? What if he doesn't ever come back? What if he's…_ She shook her head and moved on, not wanting to let her thoughts wander there. Danny was alive, and they were going to find him no matter what it took. _He has to be alive; he just has to be…he promised me he would come back._

She continued down the street, slowly managing to push the cries of the citizens out of her distressed mind as she focused on how they were going to try to find Danny. They'd already decided that the swamp wouldn't give them any more leads, but they had no way to get into the lab since Jazz's parents were constantly in there, trying to find a way to increase the protection around the town and to get their minds off of their missing son.

Sam was almost sure that some other ghost had been behind the ogre's attack, but she couldn't figure out whom. Vlad was a possibility, but sending a ghost and not being there to watch it destroy the town and Danny and gloat about his pending victory wasn't like him at all. Walker was another possible culprit, but he too would have wanted to be there to see the destruction of his enemy. Danny's evil self could easily be ruled out, thankfully; he wouldn't destroy his younger self, but would try to make him suffer and turn evil and making him feel the pain and suffering that would ultimately destroy him. _So who is behind it? If Tucker's right, then someone had to be behind this all. It couldn't be a random attack; Danny would be back by now if it was, and if he'd…if he'd died we would have found him there. Someone has to be behind this…but who?_

As she lost herself in thought, she didn't notice the news crews that were filming in front of her until she almost bumped into one of the camera men.

"Watch it, girl." He quietly hissed. "This equipment is worth a fortune, and I'm sure your parents wouldn't be too thrilled if they had to buy new stuff." Glaring at him, she backed off a ways, watching them with half interest as the news reporter continued her segment. _Oh, I'm sure they'd just die when they saw the bill…hah, they'd probably think they were doing the 'little people' a service by buying them better equipment. _

"…And while clean-up is going along smoothly, the ghost that caused this all is still at large, as is town hero Danny Phantom. Neither has been seen since the attack last Friday, where the famous ghost kid led the rampaging ogre-like ghost out of town and into the swampy areas down by the bay. We've interviewed numerous people on the streets of downtown Amity Park, which suffered the most damage, and the main attitude towards the ghost kid is one of gratitude…" _At least they finally appreciate him._ Sam thought sullenly. _And he's not even around to experience it. _A familiar name caught her ear, and she returned her attention to the overly-painted reporter.

"…the Fentons helped lead the rampaging ghost out of the town, but in the midst of the confusion lost their son, Daniel Fenton. He is one of the 15 missing persons, last seen by his friend Samantha Manson outside of her home as they were returning from school. Other missing persons include Anthony Davis, Mark Williams…" _I wonder where Danny is…he just has to be okay. No one's popped up gloating about holding him prisoner, and there haven't been any mass invasions since he's disappeared…what's going on around here?_ Turning from the depressing broadcast, she continued down the street, hopefully scanning the sky for her best friend.

_Please come back, Danny…please come home._

xxxx

"Welcome home, little badger." Danny smiled up at his father as he climbed out of the limo in front of a huge mansion; his home. He stared at it in awe, amazed that this truly was his home. Maybe now he'd be able to regain the memories that still eluded him. With his father's hand on his shoulder they walked up to the huge doors, which were opened by an elderly man in a black suit.

"Welcome home, Mr. Masters, and welcome home young Daniel. It's good to see you back again." Danny smiled up at the man hesitantly as they were ushered into the large house, not sure how to respond to the greeting. Fortunately his father spoke up, addressing the man standing in the doorway.

"Ah, hello Johnson. I hope you have my son's room readied for him; he's had a long journey and wishes to rest. His memories still elude him, I'm afraid, and I hope the familiar surroundings might help him remember." Johnson looked at him, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm quite sorry to hear that, my boy. I do hope you regain them soon." Johnson turned away from Danny, directing his next comment to his master.

"Both of your rooms are ready as you have requested, sir. Will you need anything else?" A loud crash echoed through the great reception hall, followed closely by muttered curses. Before Danny could ask his father what had happened, a large metallic figure materialized in front of them. An involuntary yelp left his mouth, and he jumped behind his father.

"Father, w-what is that thing?" The metallic 'thing' gaped openly at him, his jointed mouth working up and down silently as it tried to form words.

"Skulker, how many times must I tell you to not bother me right when I return from a business trip? And now you've scared poor Daniel half to death." Danny thought he heard a small snort escape his father, but he didn't have time to think on it. Leaning down towards him, his father placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about him, son. He's a ghost, and he works for me. For both of us. You have nothing to be afraid of, he won't hurt you."

"G-ghost? But I thought ghosts didn't exist?" His father didn't answer him, instead smiling down at him with a peculiar look on his face. Skulker finally managed to find his voice.

"How…Plasmius, I don't understand. What's going on here?" _Plasmius? What does that mean? Maybe it's his way of saying sir or master or something…and why does Father have ghosts working for him? This is all so confusing, I just wish I had my memories back…maybe everything would be clearer._

"Why, didn't Johnson tell you?" his father asked the mechanical ghost. "I finally found young Daniel out near Amity Park; it seems he'd gotten into a horrible ghost fight and has lost his memories. He's lucky I found him before some stranger did, who knows what might have happened." Danny frowned at the ghost as it studied him carefully, wondering why it seemed so surprised and confused. After a few seconds of careful scrutiny, the ghost smiled.

"Well, ghost child, I'm glad to see you safe and home again." _Ghost child?_ Danny thought, a wide expression of shock covering his face. _What in the world does he mean by that? I'm not dead…am I? _The metallic ghost turned back towards Danny's father, bending into a slight bow as he bid them farewell and disappeared. Danny noticed his father was frowning deeply at the spot the ghost had just occupied, muttering slightly under his breath. After a few moments, he spun on his heel and strode down a nearby hallway.

"Father?" Danny called after him. He had no idea where his room was, and he wasn't too fond of spending the rest of his time in the green and gold entryway. His father stopped suddenly and turned back towards him, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

"What is it, my boy? You should be getting to bed, these past few days have been trying for you and I really must get to work; I have a lot of paperwork to get through." Gulping slightly, Danny shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, I…I don't know where to go." His father's features immediately softened, and he chuckled slightly as he called out to the butler.

"I'm so sorry, son, I'd forgotten. Johnson! Show young Daniel to his rooms, and send his supper up to him. I'm sure he will want to get used to his rooms again and become more familiar with his surroundings." He turned back to Danny, a slight smile lightening his face.

"I'll see you in the morning, my little badger. Sweet dreams." With a last hearty chuckle, he disappeared through a doorway, leaving Danny alone with the butler.

"Come with me, sir, and I'll show you to your rooms." Danny followed the elderly man through the winding hallways of the mansion, staring at the immense tapestries and paintings in awe. After what seemed like hours, they finally stopped in front of two enormous, towering oak doors. Johnson opened them, revealing a dark blue room filled with model rockets, space posters, and a bookcase full of astronomy books.

Danny slowly made his way into the room, dropping the small backpack that held a few changes of clothes from the past couple of days. The room was enormous; the ceiling had to be at least ten feet, and the large four-poster bed off to the side was big enough to hold four people comfortably. It was covered by a huge black down comforter with white constellations on it, and the headboard had the entire solar system carved onto it.

"Your dinner will be up shortly, sir." Danny nodded slightly at the butler's voice, the message barely registering as the door shut behind him. A framed picture on the black stand beside his table had caught his eye. The picture showed him and his father, as well as a red-haired lady, all smiling happily at the camera. The lady looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. _Is this my mom? If it is, why isn't she here now? Did she die when I was little? _He carefully pulled the picture out of its frame and turned it over, hoping to find some explanation as to who the woman in the picture was. The back only said 'Vlad, Maddie and Daniel Masters, Christmas 1995'.

Placing the photo down on the table, Danny sat down on the bed, staring at the red haired, blue-green eyed lady in the picture. _So she is my mom…that's probably why I recognized her. Where is she? I wonder if I'll get to see her…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, and a short, pudgy man came in bearing a covered tray.

"Your dinner, sir." He set it down on a table in the middle of the room, immediately turning around and heading towards the door. Seeing his chance to get some questions answered, Danny stopped him before he could leave.

"Wait! Could I ask you something?" The man regarded him curiously, slowly nodding.

"Where...where's my mom? Do you think I could see her?" The man stiffened visibly, sniffing slightly as he studied Danny carefully through his round glasses.

"I think you'd best ask your father about that, young sir; it's not my place to answer that." Turning about on his heel, he stalked through the door, carefully shutting it behind him before striding down the hallway.

Danny got up from the bed, slowly walking over to where the tray lay. Lifting the cover off, he was greeted by the sight of a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a medium-sized bag of regular potato chips and a bottle of water lying next to it. He pulled a nearby chair over, sitting down and picking up the sandwich. Quickly demolishing the small yet satisfying meal, he walked over to the bed, where he saw a previously missed pair of black pajamas. Seeing them and the large bed made him realize how exhausted he really was, and he slipped into the comfortable clothes. As he crawled under the heavy covers and sleep took over, the last thing he saw was the picture of him and his family propped against its frame.

xxxx

_He found himself on a deserted street, fog swirling heavily around his feet. A strong sense of urgency filled him as he looked around him, searching for…something. Taking cautious steps forward, his eyes alert and watching, he struggled to remember what it was he was trying to find. The sound of his shoes tapping against the pavement filled his ears, joining the sound of a rapidly beating heart that he soon realized was his own. The noise pounded through his mind until he couldn't hear anything else._

_He paused in his quest and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the din when suddenly a soft yet worried voice cut through. _

"_Where are you?" A violet-eyed girl stood in front of him, anxiously calling out his name. She didn't seem to see him as he raced towards her, waving his arms frantically in the air. Hopelessness welled up in him as she turned away from him, still calling out for him, her cries becoming more desperate as she got further away. As the swirling mists closed in around him, he could hear her sobs as they echoed through the deserted streets, still calling out his name…_

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Woot! TIS DONE :D Give my awesome beta a round of applause; she did great on this one! Thank you darkflame1516, I love it! And don't worry, you'll always have a job; I'm not that good. :) Please review!

AND PLEASE GO CHECK OUT DARKNESS ON THE WATER'S STUFF! She's really good...and she's my cousin! I'm sure you'll like them, especially Lullaby. :) So please review, she's feeling left out since no one's really reviewing. Thank you so much!


	6. Chapter 6

*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

Ya know what? I just found an amazing writer's block break for me; Josh Groban. How I love him…it's amazing, I really can't explain it but something about his voice just gets those creative juices flowing. :D

Anyway, I'm glad you're still with me! This chapter has a bit more explanations for the whole situation and where I'll be taking this. Ah, I do love this story. Enjoy Chapter Six!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom!

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The soft morning sunlight shone in on the sleeping boy, slowly awakening him from his deep and troubled slumber. Once again he'd dreamed of the violet-eyed girl, but he still couldn't understand why she was haunting his thoughts. Turning his back to the brightening light, Danny silently mulled over the dream's significance. Each night since his father had found him, he'd had that dream and each time it was exactly the same…except for the length. For whatever reason, he chased the girl further every time, but couldn't manage to catch up with her. _Who is she? Why do I keep dreaming about her…is she someone from my past? I wonder if she's real, or just a figure from my imagination… I might just be blowing this out of proportion, it could just be a strange dream…maybe even the last one I had before I lost my memory… But still…who is she? _

Rolling onto his back, Danny pulled the black flannel covers up to his chin, staring up at his star-strewn ceiling. The dream was like a puzzle; he couldn't decide whether or not it had any significance, and if it did what it could possibly mean. Before he could ponder it further, there was a light knock at the door and Johnson's balding head poked through the opening.

"Sir, your father wishes to speak to you in the library now." Danny raised his head from his pillow, staring at the elderly butler.

"Now? D—did he say what he wanted?" Johnson's eyebrow raised in surprise as his blank face twitched slightly, not used to anyone questioning his master's orders.

"Mr. Masters does not tell me these things; I am here only to serve him." With a slight sniff, he told Danny that he would wait in the hallway while he got changed and shut the door a bit louder than was necessary. Slowly crawling out from under the warm blankets, he shuffled over to the dresser and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a simple, black button-down shirt. Once he was dressed, he cautiously opened the huge doors and stuck his head out into the hallway. Just as promised, Johnson was standing to one side, patiently waiting for Danny to come out.

Shutting the door, Danny turned to ask Johnson more questions but the butler was already moving down the long hallway, clearly expecting the boy to follow him. As they moved through the large mansion, Danny was once again astounded by the vastness of his father's estate. Out of each window he could see open fields and gardens stretching far into the distance and a small forest starting off to the north of the mansion. In the hallways themselves, the large portraits of important-looking people stared down at him, seemingly watching his every move. The brilliant tapestries shone in the bright sunlight, their various pictures almost coming to life before his eyes. Yet despite the grandeur, he couldn't help but wonder what his father wanted to talk to him about. Remembering his conversation with Johnson the night he had arrived at the mansion, Danny tried to formulate the question that had been hovering in the back of his mind; where was his mother?

A few minutes and many corridors later, Danny found himself in front of another set of large wooden doors. Johnson opened one of them and motioned for Danny to enter before him. The room was fairly dark, but Danny could see rows and rows of books stretching up to the ceiling. His father stood next to the fireplace, staring up at a white shield with a strange, purple animal painted onto it. The mantle was bare but for a pair of golden football book-ends, each resting on opposite sides of the fireplace. As the door thudded shut behind him, Danny looked up at his father expectantly.

The elderly man paused for a moment before turning around to face his son, a contemplative look pasted on his lean face.

"Come in, little badger, and have a seat. I'm sure you have many questions that you want to ask me before we get started today, and I'd rather get them out of the way now instead of after we've begun your training for today." Danny took a seat in front of the fireplace, wondering how he should phrase his question, but before he could ask it dawned on him that he had no idea what his father had meant by "training".

"What kind of training do you mean?" He asked. Vlad waved his hand distractedly, smiling widely as he sat down in an overstuffed armchair near the fire.

"Don't worry about that now, we'll get to it in time. Now is there anything that's been on your mind? Anything you'd like to ask me?" Danny shifted uncomfortably, still unsure how to voice his question. As he looked down at the carpet, he tried to gather his thoughts into comprehensible words. _How am I supposed to just ask him? "Hey, I was just wondering where my mom is, do you know?" What if she died, I don't want to put him in any uncomfortable spots. I just want to know…_

Vlad interrupted Danny's muddled thoughts by clearing his throat, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"Daniel? Is there anything you wish to ask me or do you want to just move straight into the training?" Looking up, Danny slowly started forming his question.

"Well, you're my father, right? And I mean, you know, I was just wondering, because most kids have them, don't they? So…why don't I?" At his father's confused expression, Danny quickly continued.

"You know, I mean I haven't seen anyone else here the whole time, and there's usually a dad _and_ a mom, so…" Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up at his father expectantly.

"Ah, I was afraid you'd ask that." Danny started to apologize, but Vlad quickly cut him off.

"No need, my boy, don't worry about it. You see, your mother left us both a few years ago, after the accident." He paused slightly, looking up at the mantle above the fire. "I was hoping to be able to explain this later, but I see no way of avoiding it now." Before Danny could ask him what he'd meant, Vlad had risen and made his way back to the fireplace. Lifting one of his slender hands, he pulled down on the right football book-end, which surprisingly bent down. A loud rumbling filled the room, and the fireplace split down the middle to reveal a long corridor.

Danny gaped at the open hole and the long staircase that wound downwards into the darkness.

"Come with me, there are some things I need to show you." Before Danny could ask his father what he meant, he'd turned towards the vast dark hole and started descending the stairs. Slowly rising from his position on the couch, Danny cautiously followed him into the dark. _Whoa, a secret passageway? This house is so cool…I wonder what's down here?_

The fireplace rumbled shut behind them, leaving them completely in the dark. Seconds after it closed, bright overhead lights clicked on, revealing a metallic staircase that led into a similarly-built room. As they reached the bottom, Danny gasped in surprise; the entire room was filled with machinery parts and boxes of what looked like guns and other various weapons.

"Where are we?" He whispered. A hand fell onto his shoulder; he hadn't noticed his father moving behind him.

"We're in my research laboratory. This is where I invent all of my ghost-related weapons and tools. What do you think of it?" Danny didn't answer for a few moments, taking in everything around him.

"It's…it's cool!" A hearty chuckle issued from his father's mouth as he moved in front of his son.

"I'm glad you think so." He stopped, studying Danny intently. "There's something you need to know before I can tell you about your mother." Two black rings formed around his dad's waist, spreading upwards and downwards to reveal a completely different person. _Wait, not a person…Dad's a ghost? _

xxxx

The young boy gasped loudly and stumbled back, ramming into a pile of boxes. As they tumbled down towards the floor, Vlad stuck out a hand and sent a pink ray towards the boxes, stopping them in midair and gently placing them onto the floor. _Still clumsy as ever, I see._ The elder ghost softly sighed, reminding himself that it would all be worth it in the end.

As Danny gaped up at him, Vlad smiled in what he hoped was a kind way, trying not to scare the boy too much. _Well at least I know he's really lost his memory; either that or he's better at acting than I thought. _

"F—f—father? Is…is that…..what..?" The young boy trailed off, confusedly trying to make sense of the scene before him. Vlad sighed heavily, trying to make himself sound sad and wistful.

"It's quite a story, one I was not certain you'd believe unless I showed you first." He floated over to a nearby lab table, picking up one of the tools and idly scrutinizing it in his hand.

"When your mother and I were in college, our best friend was named Jack Fenton. He was obsessed with ghosts, and we were dragged into his plans more than we wanted to be. Over time your mother fell in love with the idea of ghosts, and it was then she started developing plans to create a portal into their world so she could study them more easily. I supported her in her venture, lending her money and help when she needed it. After I asked her to marry me Jack became jealous and broke off our friendship, vowing to never speak to us again." Setting the tool down, he turned back towards the boy standing behind him.

"It was a few years ago that your mother and I first managed to create a working portal to the Ghost Zone, a dimension parallel to ours where the spirits of the dead reside. When we brought you down to see it, there was an accident. Your mother plugged it in, but instead of just opening the gateway like we'd planned, a large blast of ecto-energy streaked out and hit the both of us, turning us into what are known in the Ghost Zone as half-ghosts or 'halfas'."

Danny's mouth slowly dropped, his mind clearly trying to process the information it was receiving. Vlad paused at this, smirking inwardly and letting the boy gather his thoughts.

"U..us?" He whispered incredulously. Vlad smiled as sympathetically as he could while Danny stared up at him, confusion written all over the young boy's face.

"Come here and I'll show you." Danny slowly approached the table, his eyes full of apprehension. Before the boy could change his mind, Vlad's hand snaked out and caught his arm, sending a shock through his body and causing him to morph into his ghostly form.

Danny gasped as the rings formed around his waist, spreading apart until he was completely changed. Smiling, Vlad led the boy to a fairly reflective surface, letting him take in his transformation. _By the time I'm done telling him the tragic tale of how Jack ruined our lives and stole the love of my life, Daniel will be completely mine. I'll be able to finally exact the revenge I have been denied of so many times; Jack will be dead, Maddie will be mine and Daniel will work by my side; together we will be unstoppable!_

His former enemy finally turned around and looked up at him, surprise and disbelief evident in his eyes.

"So we're dead? Is that why mom left?" Vlad shook his head sadly, preparing himself for the speech he was about to give.

"No, we're only half dead. Your mother could not understand that we were still the same people we had been before; Jack's poisonous words had taken hold of her. She saw us as freaks, monsters that were a part of both worlds. And so she divorced me and abandoned you, running off to marry that idiot Jack Fenton, adopting his daughter and completely forgetting about us. Ever since then she has sworn to destroy any and all ghosts she comes across, believing they took away her family." Vlad paused dramatically, wiping fake tears out of the corners of his eyes and sniffling a little before continuing.

"That day we both vowed to get revenge on the man who had stolen our beloved Maddie from us, poisoning her mind with the idea that all ghosts are evil and cannot live in a human world. Our plan was almost ready to execute when you disappeared. I feared Jack had captured you, knowing something of our plans and how crucial a piece you were, and so I was headed out to Amity Park to confront him when I found you in that field."

Danny didn't speak for a long time, instead staring down at his new appearance. Vlad watched smugly from a short distance, letting Danny soak in all of the information he'd been given. _He's buying every word I say…this could be easier than I thought. _After a few minutes the boy looked up at his father, a determined look in his eyes.

"So how are we going to get Mom back?"

Vlad smiled down at him, the gears in his head spinning wildly as his plan formed.

"We'll start with your training…"

XXXX

Well, there's 6! I hope you guys liked it, please review and tell me what you thought of it!

Oh, and I've got a great story recommendation for you guys! It's called 'Lullaby' by Darkness on the Water, and it is amazing. She also did a humor one called 'The Ghost Zone's Greatest…Chicken Hunter?' which is pretty funny, especially if you've played Chicken Hunter. Ah what a great game…so check them out! I PROMISE you won't be disappointed! And she's my cousin, so I have to put a plug in for her. ;) Just kidding Nikki! I do it cuz I love your stuff and you deserve to have an attentive audience. :)

TSW


	7. Chapter 7

*Note: re-edited version is up!*

Back with another chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

XXXX

Six months had passed since the day Danny disappeared, and there still hadn't been another lead to his whereabouts. By now the Fentons had almost resigned themselves to the fact that their youngest member wasn't coming back any time soon, if at all. Tucker had the same sinking feeling, quickly losing hope that Danny would ever come back.

The chill autumn air swirled around Sam's face as she stared at the door to the Fenton's weary abode, silently wondering at her own determination to find her friend. No one had seen any sign of either Fenton or Phantom since the attack, or any other ghost for that matter. It had been strangely silent in Amity Park, causing the remaining members of 'Team Phantom' to believe that a ghost was behind Danny's disappearance. Yet after thoroughly questioning and investigating every ghost they had come across, there was still no trace of the missing boy. They had even taken a trip to Wisconsin to 'visit' Vlad, but even there they hadn't found a single trace of Danny. Vlad had seemed quite surprised to find them snooping through his mansion, but was strangely cooperative through the whole experience.

Both Jazz and Tucker had tried to convince Sam that there was nothing left for them to do, but she kept a firm hold on her conviction that Danny was still alive, held somewhere against his will.

Slowly walking up the steps, she cautiously knocked on the door. After a few moments she heard a quiet scuffling inside, the door slowly creaking open to reveal a disheveled Jazz, who smiled slightly at the sight of her visitor.

"Oh, hi Sam. Come on in." The red-haired girl stepped aside, allowing Sam to walk into the house. Not much had changed; a stranger to the Fenton home would never be able to tell that a member of the family was missing. The living room still had its cheery, welcoming feeling, seemingly unaware of the events that had happened, and the kitchen looked clean and inviting. The entire house screamed normality, which told Sam of its actual somber reality.

Jazz closed the door behind her guest and turned to Sam, waiting for her to speak up. Sam shuffled her feet slightly before speaking to her hostess.

"I…I was wondering if we could talk." Jazz smiled at her sympathetically, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Of course. Let's just go upstairs to my room; we won't be disturbed up there." As they passed Danny's all-too-quiet bedroom, Sam couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of grief run though her. The silent, foreboding door was a painful reminder of what was missing from her life, and she was grateful that she didn't have to walk past it every day like Jazz did. Yet that didn't mean there weren't other things to remind her of her friend.

They sat down on Jazz's cheery blue bed, situating themselves comfortably on the soft surface. Jazz looked at her company expectantly and patiently, waiting for Sam to start the conversation.

"So…" Sam started, not quite sure how to begin what she wanted to say. She was slowly starting to regret her decision to talk to Jazz in the first place; the subject was awkward enough without involving Danny's sister. "Umm, how are you holding up?" Jazz smiled sadly, shrugging her shoulders as she stared into her cupped hands.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. Mom and Dad are still locking themselves in the basement every moment they can, working on some sort of invention. They haven't even told me what it is, which is unusual. But their behavior is understandable, considering…" She drifted off uncertainly, leaving an uncomfortable silence. After a few moments she looked up from her hands, drawing the attention away from her own worries.

"How about you? What did you need to talk to me about?" Grimacing slightly, Sam looked at her friend, wishing she had decided to stay home today.

"Well, it's…it's about Danny." Jazz frowned.

"You're not thinking of doing anything—" Sam quickly cut her off, anticipating what the young psychiatrist-to-be was about to say.

"No, nothing like that. It's about what happened before…before the attack." Jazz nodded slowly, silently urging her to continue. Sam gulped uncertainly, and after a few moments hesitation she found the words she was looking for.

"Well, the day it happened, we were walking home and Danny told us how he felt something big was going to happen. He said it was just a feeling, and then when we made plans for a movie night we forgot about it." She paused, not quite sure how to tell Jazz about the note she had given Danny. It was such a personal issue, but she couldn't keep her worries bottled up inside of her forever.

"Sam? Are you okay?" Jazz leaned a bit closer, taking Sam's hand in hers. Shaking herself out of her troubling thoughts, Sam continued.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just trying to find the right words…" She bit her bottom lip uncertainly, looking out of the window to the mocking bright sun outside.

"Tucker had already gone home, and Danny and I were walking towards my house like we always did. We got to the doorstep, and I gave him a…a note I'd written earlier. But before he could read it his ghost sense went off, and I ran upstairs to grab a thermos while he went off to find the ghost. At the time I was relieved that he hadn't had the time to read it, but now…now I'm afraid I'll never get the chance to find out how he felt about it."

She fell silent, waiting for Jazz's response. The two were silent for a while, both digesting what had just been said. As Sam nervously wrung her hands, she tried to blink back the tears that were quickly forming in her violet eyes. _I shouldn't have come; Jazz is just going to laugh at me for worrying over this. She's not going to understand what I'm going through...how did I ever think that this was a good idea? _After a few moments of thick silence, Jazz pulled Sam's attention back into the room.

"You told him about your feelings, didn't you?" she whispered quietly. The tears that had been threatening to spill out of her eyes finally found their way onto her face, rapidly running downwards as sobs wracked her lithe frame. Jazz pulled her into a warm embrace, and Sam felt a few of the older girl's tears fall onto the top of her head.

"Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry." After she had cried herself out, Sam managed to pull herself together enough to voice the rest of her concerns.

"I want him to come back so much, Jazz. I'm too scared to even think of what might happen if he doesn't come back…I just wish that he was here. I miss him so much." She looked up at Jazz's tear-streaked face, conflicting emotions running across her face as tried to dry her tears.

Jazz grabbed the large box of tissues from the nightstand next to her bed and handed them to Sam, sighing heavily.

"We all do, Sam. We all do."

xxxx

Once again Danny woke up to the blaring of his alarm clock, signaling the start of another intense training session with his father. The dream that he'd had the first night in his room had kept coming back each night, and as always the one he'd just woken up from was more vivid and desperate than the one before. Each night he found himself on a deserted and foggy street, a strong sense of urgency filling him as he looked around him for any living being. And always the same violet-eyed girl showed up, searching for him as he tried to catch her attention, his answers to her cries falling on deaf ears. But with each passing night she was more desperate, her cries becoming louder and louder in his ears until he felt they would burst. He always chased her throughout the deserted town, and each night the chase would last longer and longer until he lost sight of her, waking up in a sweat. Yet last night had been different. The girl had stopped her wild search, instead sinking to her knees in the middle of the street and placing her face into her hands in defeat. He had been just about to reach out to her and comfort her when his alarm had gone off, quickly jerking him from the scene.

Groaning loudly, he turned over and blindly slapped at the blaring machine, slowly letting the sleep leak out of his weary muscles. He had an hour until he had to be back in the lab for more training, but the new scene that had been added to his dream gave him a reason to pause. He had never told his father about his dreams; there was a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about telling him. They seemed to be the only link he had to his past and his memories, and it was comforting to have them. Yet at the same time they haunted his every waking moment; who was the dark-haired girl in them who was always looking for him? He hadn't seen her or anyone resembling her since he'd been home, and after six months he was starting to think she was only a figment of his imagination.

Slowly rolling out from under his covers, Danny dragged himself over to the small table near the foot of his bed and the small breakfast that awaited him. He was never allowed much to eat before training sessions; his father believed that if he ate too much his senses would be dulled and the practice wouldn't be as efficient. So every morning Danny was given two crisp pieces of toast with a small amount of jelly to put on top and a medium-sized glass of extra-pulpy orange juice.

He quickly finished the small meal and changed into an older, graying white t-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweat pants. It really didn't matter what he wore—he hadn't trained in his human form for the past four months, as he'd quickly regained all of his previous powers and reflexes. Transforming into his ghost form, he phased down to the library and pulled on the football on the mantle, heading down the now familiar steps and into the laboratory.

Stepping into the brightly lit room, he was surprised to find that his father wasn't waiting for him. Every morning so far since he'd started his training the sessions had begun the moment he'd set foot on the bright metal floors, but this time nothing happened. Glancing around the room to make sure he hadn't missed his father somewhere, Danny idly walked over to the training area to await his arrival. It wasn't much, just a cleared area surrounded by ghost shields so that the rest of the lab wouldn't be destroyed. As he approached the entrance, his ghost sense went off at the same time that an ectoblast hit him from behind, throwing him into the shields. Gasping in pain as he slid onto the floor, Danny turned around to see his father floating in front of him, an evil-looking glare twisting his features.

"Disappointing." Danny's eyebrows rose questioningly at his father's remark.

"That wasn't a fair shot; I didn't know you were there." A disbelieving snort reached Danny's ears as his father landed on the floor of the lab, striding over to where Danny was now crouched.

"And I suppose you'd expect your enemy to give you a fair fight? Be serious boy, they aren't going to play nice just because you do. You must learn to be underhanded, clever. You need to be able to anticipate your opponent's moves before they make them or you will lose." Without waiting for a reply he spun on his heel, striding into the training arena. Slowly getting to his feet, Danny followed him warily._ I guess he's right, people like Jack Fenton aren't going to play by the rules; he's ruthless, he isn't going to stop at anything to keep mom and destroy us. _Yet as his thoughts ran along that line, Danny couldn't help but notice the feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him he was wrong.

As he entered the training area, a series of figures shot up, each one a different face. They all looked familiar, but before he could dwell on it his father grabbed his attention.

"These are your enemies, Daniel; they will stop at nothing to completely destroy us, and I want you to be able to recognize them when we arrive in Amity Park." He pressed a button on the wall and the figures disappeared. "When I press this button again they will randomly appear, as well as some of our allies. I want you to shoot the enemies. Every ally you shoot will cost you an hour of your free time, as will every enemy missed."

Danny nodded silently, tensing up as he prepared for the lesson. After a few long moments the button was pressed, and the first figure sprang into view. It was of a red-haired teenage girl with bluish-green eyes, a blaster trained in his direction. Without hesitation he shot it, a strange sense of glee bubbling inside of him. Leaving behind its charred black remains as the next figure popped up, quickly recognizing it as the metallic ghost whom he often saw watching their training sessions. Next to it appeared an African-American boy with a strange red hat and black glasses, a goofy smirk on his face. This one joined the first figure on the floor, and he effortlessly continued through the exercise.

A few minutes into the session, another figure popped up. He rushed towards the black-haired girl, but as he got closer he skidded to a halt, the green energy in his hands fading away. _It can't be…_Leaning closer, his eyes widened as they looked into the bright, violet orbs of his enemy. It was the girl from his dreams, the one who had been haunting him ever since he had arrived back home.

"What are you waiting for, Daniel, attack!" Danny's gaze shifted between the girl and his father, but his in his moment of indecision his father took out the figure instead, its charred remains falling to the floor. He knew he'd just gained another intense hour of training, but still he did not move.

"Continue with the exercise, boy!" Taking one last look at the blackened figure on the floor, he shuddered as he saw her eyes; the only part that hadn't been singed by his father's blast.

Shaking the haunting feeling off, he turned to finish the rest of his exercise. As the next figure shot up, he heard his father mutter quietly under his breath.

"He cannot fail in this or the plan will never work…" Steeling himself against his conflicting feelings, Danny raced through the rest of the exercise. He would not fail his father again.

xxxx

Pulling her thick black jacket closer around her body, Sam slowly walked through the deserted park, shivering as a chill burst of November wind danced past her, pulling her hair in various directions. Tucking it behind her ears she scanned the area around her, looking for Tucker. She was supposed to meet him here, but so far she hadn't seen any sign of her technologically-obsessed friend.

She was just about to pull out her phone and call him when a familiar shout reached her ears. Turning around, she saw him running towards her, one hand holding his old red beret onto his head and the other clutching protectively at his backpack, which was undoubtedly filled with various technological items.

Smiling as he finally reached her, she helped him to a nearby bench. Tucker had never been very fit, and the two hundred meters he had just run had completely exhausted him. Once he had finally caught his breath he leaned back on the bench, smiling up at her annoyed scowl.

"You're late, Tucker Foley." He put on a look of shock and dismay, hanging his head in mock shame.

"I apologize, O high one, but I was delayed by a certain teacher." Sam knew exactly who he was talking about; Mr. Lancer had been very overprotective of the duo ever since school had started up back in August, making sure that the other students did not bother them about their missing friend. They were silently grateful for his help, but lately it had become a bit of an annoyance. Lancer would constantly call them out of class to ask them how their day was, inadvertently reminding the student body of Danny's absence instead of allowing it to be forgotten and to let Sam and Tucker return their lives to some semblance of normalcy.

Chuckling at her friend's sense of humor, Sam settled back onto the bench, shivering in the cold air. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both just taking comfort in the presence of the other. It had been rough on both of them since Danny's disappearance, and the lack of information on what had happened to him had stressed both to their limits. The only thing that had saved their sanities was the start of their junior year of high school, and both had jumped into their school work with diligence. Yet the start of Fall Break meant that they had nothing to occupy their time for an entire week, so they had decided to meet in the park and do something together, which so far had only come to sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, dwelling in their own thoughts.

Sam looked over at her friend, who was lost in his own thoughts. Frowning slightly, she pulled him out of his reverie.

"Hey, Tucker, what are you thinking about?" she asked, knowing the answer before he supplied it. Startled, the brown-eyed boy looked over at her, his eyes still clouded with thought.

"Danny—what else?" He chuckled wryly, shaking his head as he continued his thought. "I was just thinking about how no one even notices that Phantom's gone; without all of the ghosts terrorizing the town everyone has kind of adopted it as the new 'normal'. It's like they don't even care that we have no idea what happened to him." Sam sighed heavily, seeing some truth in Tucker's depressing statement.

"I know how you feel. It seems that the town is perfectly fine without Danny; Phantom or Fenton. It's like he never even existed...like he's some fictional character that we made up to amuse ourselves." They were both silent for a few moments, dwelling on the absence of the towns protector and the lack of need of his services.

"Hey, Tucker?" Sam brought his attention back again, hesitatingly asking a question she'd asked time and time again.

"Where do you think he is right now?" Tucker shook his head sadly; he'd run out of good answers long ago.

"I really don't know, Sam. You know what I think; there's a chance that he's not even—"

"Don't, Tucker. Don't even say it. Danny's not dead." Fire danced in Sam's eyes as she hotly denied Tucker's statement, determinedly subduing the rising fear in the pit of her stomach telling her that Tucker might be right. He sighed heavily, shaking his head at the denial of his friend.

"Sam, you can't run from it. It's entirely possible that he's not coming back…we need to move on." She opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly cut her off.

"No, Sam. We looked; no one can say that we didn't try to find him, and we didn't find any signs of him anywhere. No one has seen him since he disappeared, and we scoured both the Ghost Zone and our world."

"But there's still a possibility that he's out there, Tucker. We didn't look everywhere; if we just kept looking, we might find him." Tucker turned to get a better view of her face, capturing her eyes in his steadfast gaze.

"Sam, promise me that you won't go trying to look for him on your own. We've done everything we can; it's out of our hands now." She hesitated, looking down at her hands as they nervously fiddled on her lap, but at his insistent prodding she agreed.

"Okay, I promise. But you have to promise not to give up on him, no matter what. I just know he's still out there, somewhere, and that he needs our help. Promise me that if we find any hint of where he is that you'll come with me." A sad smile ran across Tucker's face as he nodded.

"I promise."

Settling back onto the bench, the two friends stared off into the dreary grey sky, both filled with thoughts of their lost friend.

XXXX

First off, a HUGE thank you to Rose Garden twilight: She really made Danny's section possible; the entire training session was her idea. Well, the specifics of it, but don't you just love it :D

Not a lot of action in this one, but the next chapter has a lot more plot development in it; it's one of my favorites. Plus we're getting close to the end—only about 4 or 5 more chapters after this one. Please tell me what you thought of it!

~TSW~


	8. Chapter 8

*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

I was recently informed by Data-Dog that my story had been pirated on deviantART by a user named CheyenneXSnape under the name 'Madworld'. The prologue is almost word for word my chapter four. I can't even begin to tell you how hurt I am by this; that someone would steal my story and just insert their own OC's just amazes me. I know it's happened before to other wonderful authors, but I never had thought it would happen to me. It makes me wonder a little why I still write if it's not appreciated. There are also many other stories up on their page that I've read before on fanfiction, so you should look to make sure that yours hasn't been stolen too.

Anyway, change of subject: Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, so don't try anything!

XXXX

"Good, Daniel. Excellent work." Vlad's praise barely registered in the boy's fatigued mind as he pushed his way through the training, relentlessly trying to prove to his father that he was improving and wasn't a failure. Blast after blast left his tightly-clenched fists, each one hitting one of the cardboard cutouts of his enemies. As the last figure fell, Danny lightly landed on the floor, his senses still alert for any additional attacks. His father nodded his approval, a content smile lighting his face.

"You're progressing farther than I'd first hoped little badger. I'm quite impressed with the skills you've gained since we began. I'm giving you the rest of the day off as a reward for your hard work." Danny beamed at the praise, letting himself change back into his human form as his eyes fell to the floor in front of him, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Yet as he basked in the glow of his success, he heard his father muttering to himself.

"Strange how even though I've had my powers twenty years longer he's already stronger than I've ever been…" Danny felt his stomach clench as his father's statement reached his ears. He knew he had not been meant to hear it, but his heightened senses had caught every word. _Twenty years longer? But he told me we got our powers in the same accident…how can that be? _

Before he could further analyze his father's discomforting statement, a loud knock was heard on the laboratory door. Sighing heavily, his father admitted the intruder, glaring down at the butler as he entered the room.

"How many times must I tell you that you are not to interrupt our training sessions, Johnson?" Cringing slightly under his master's angry glare, Johnson cleared his throat and hastily delivered his message.

"I'm quite sorry, sir, but the Mansons of Amity Park have just called to request a personal meeting with you next Thursday afternoon, if you are available. They say that you are well acquainted with their daughter, and that they would feel rude if they did not introduce themselves." An apprehensive silence fell over the room as the elder Masters mulled over the announcement. _The Mansons? _Danny pulled his eyes from the floor and looked up at his father, noticing the strained amusement lighting his eyes. _Huh, Johnson said that they were from Amity Park; I wonder if they've got any connection to the Fentons. And who's their daughter? Johnson said that Father knew her very well…I wonder what that means. _

Danny was pulled from his musings as his father chuckled slightly, turning away from the butler and picked up one of the ecto-guns on the table. Examining it carefully, he made his decision.

"Tell the Mansons that I would be delighted to have them, and that I am greatly looking forward to our…meeting." Bowing slightly in acknowledgement, Johnson turned around and walked back upstairs to pass Vlad's message on to the Mansons. As the door closed behind him Danny looked up at his father, hoping for an explanation. Silence filled the room for a few moments as he studied the gun. Gradually he seemed to realize that Danny was still in the room and turned to him with a bright smile on his face.

"Well Daniel, this will be quite an experience for you. You'll be able to meet the Mansons and their…charismatic daughter; you'll finally have the chance to see one of our enemies face to face." Danny frowned slightly, trying to make sense of his father's words.

"But if they're our enemies, why are we letting them come here? What good could that do?" Chuckling lightly, Vlad changed back into his human form and placed a hand onto Danny's shoulder, leading him towards the stairwell.

"The Mansons themselves are not our enemies, but their daughter is closely associated with the Fentons. Her parents do not approve of the friendship, and this rift between the two may come in handy later on." As they exited the laboratory Vlad paused, looking down at Danny thoughtfully. "You'll have to be sure to stay well out of sight, though. We don't want Miss Samantha to know that you are still alive or our plans will be entirely ruined. I'm sure that she convinced her parents to come here so she could find out whether you'd survived their attack, but we won't let her find out."

A sly smile filled Vlad's face, sending slight chills down Danny's spine. Lost for words he nodded in response, gulping slightly at the knot that was forming in his gut. _Why does this seem so wrong? I'm probably just over-reacting, this all needs to happen so we can get mom back…_

"Daniel, you're free to go now; just make sure that you don't leave the grounds." Without waiting for a response, Vlad turned on his heel and left the lab, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts. Giving his father a few minutes to get ahead of him, Danny slipped out of the library and ran to the gardens, quickly finding his favorite bench under the now dormant lilac bushes. The comforting and familiar surroundings wrapped around him, releasing the knot that had been forming in his gut all morning. Sighing contentedly, he slowly let his thoughts collect, allowing them to drift back to the comment he'd heard from his father that morning.

_What did he mean by having his powers for 20 more years than me? We both were in the same accident, the one that made us into half-ghost freaks. _Idly fingering the bush beside him, Danny's thoughts churned inside of him, trying to make sense of his ever-growing puzzle. Lately, everything his father had told him struck a sour cord; somehow it didn't seem right. He'd trusted his father with less and less information on his progress, both in training and regaining memories. His father had never learned about the dreams of the violet-eyed girl that haunted him, desperately looking for him through the deserted streets of a quiet city. He'd never told his father about the creased, wrinkled note he'd kept hidden in the picture frame of his family ever since he'd arrived back home, and whenever they discussed revenge against Jack Fenton, a huge knot would form in the pit of his stomach. _It just doesn't all seem to fit…why don't I trust my own father? Nothing seems to fit anymore. How did he really know to find me in that corn field? It seems like it was all just a huge lucky coincidence…but was it? He was so surprised to see me that first day…what if he's not even really my father?_

Danny laughed at his own ridiculous thought, shaking his head at his foolishness._ No, he's my father. How else would he have known about my powers? He's definitely my father, and I should try to trust him more. I can tell him about the note, and the dreams. After all, they are about one of our enemies, an enemy who's coming to visit in only a few days. He should know that she's been trying to get at me…but then again, in the note she said that she hoped we could still be friends…whose side is she really on?_

Sighing heavily, Danny laid down on the cold bench and allowed himself to relax. A feeling of happiness washed over him, and he closed his eyes as he stretched out on the bench. As soon as his eyelids blocked out the glaring winter sun, a melodic laughter filled his head. Jerking upright, he quickly scanned the area around him, looking for the source of the sound but no one was to be seen.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Yet as the words left his mouth he realized that he hadn't heard the laughter; it had been a memory. It was vague and blurry now, but he hazily remembered causing a girl to laugh, being pleased that he had made her so happy. _Who was it? Maybe my mother…I could be remembering making her laugh. But the voice didn't sound like she was much older than me…she sounded young._ Sighing heavily, he lifted himself off the bench, exhaustion finally taking over him from the vigorous morning training. Shaking his head at the hundreds of questions that were still pounding through his thoughts he headed inside, hoping a long and restful afternoon would help him clear his mind.

xxxx

Pacing in his private study, Vlad Masters worried about his son. True he wasn't his son by blood, but the boy was more like Vlad than he was his bumbling idiot of a father Jack Fenton. Sneering angrily, Vlad sank into his overstuffed recliner, digging his fingers into the plush leather armrests. A small side table rested at his side with a full bottle of wine sitting in a bucket of ice with a glass cup nearby, but he ignored it as he mulled over his dilemma.

Lately the boy had been more reluctant to accept the plans for revenge and the ultimate take over of Amity Park. He didn't seem to see the advantages to being in charge of an entire town, and eventually a world...or two. People and ghosts alike wouldn't hate him for what he was, a freak that fit into neither world. They would instead fear and admire him.

The boy was more than ready. He'd quickly regained all of his old powers and a few new ones, making him far more powerful than Vlad was at that stage, and even more powerful than he was now with twenty years of experience. True the boy still couldn't successfully duplicate three other clones or transport himself, but the vastness and power of the abilities he had far surpassed Vlad's own. _If only he'd stop questioning everything I told him…we could attack in the morning if only I could get him to see that the invasion is necessary. He only wants to deal with Jack Fenton—and he even balks at the idea of killing the idiot! _Vlad paused in his thoughts, suddenly springing to his feet and resuming his pacing.

"What if the boy's regained his memories? What if all of this training and exposure to his past has triggered some sort of reaction…what if he remembers everything about his life?" Reaching the end of the room he turned sharply on his heel, pausing to face the large fireplace on the other side of the room.

"Perhaps I should cancel that visit of the Manson's next week…after all, he was strongly attached to the girl, perhaps even close to dating her. Seeing her in person might cause him to remember it all and ruin my hard work. He's already recognized her—or at least had a strong sense of recognition the first day I introduced the enemy identification training. I had to act quickly with that one; he seemed so shocked to see her…" Clasping his hands behind his back he resumed his frustrated pacing, shaking his head and muttering silently to himself.

"No, no I should keep everything as normal as possible. If I cancel this meeting he'll ask more questions, and quite frankly I'm running out of convincing explanations, and patience. No, the Mansons will still come to visit us next Thursday afternoon…I'll just have to make sure Daniel stays well out of sight. I can tell him it's too dangerous, that the girl might bring some sort of detection equipment with her that could prematurely reveal his presence to the enemy. He'll believe that, and stay well out of the way while I deal with the Mansons and their meddling daughter."

An evil grin lit his face as he thought about the upcoming invasion.

"How lucky I was to find Daniel in that field with all of his memories kindly knocked out of his head, and just in time to help me with my plans. With Danny at my side it will be all too easy to conquer that dim-witted town and destroy the idiot that stole the love of my life. Maddie will gladly come to my side once she realizes I have her precious little boy firmly in my grasp, and from there taking over the world and the Ghost Zone will be as easy as changing into Vlad Plasmius."

Smiling slyly, Vlad moved over to the small side table and poured himself a congratulatory glass of wine, holding it up in a toast.

"Here's to the complete and utter destruction of Jack Fenton."

Drinking the entire glass in one gulp, he slammed it down onto the table, shattering the fragile glass into hundreds of small pieces. He changed into his ghost form, laughing happily as he phased down into the lab to put the finishing touches on his invasion plans.

xxxx

Staring glumly out of the limousine's tinted window, Sam Manson watched as the Wisconsin countryside quickly rolled past. Her parents were chatting excitedly behind her, but she paid no attention to their conversation. She knew that they were discussing their meeting with one of the wealthiest men in the world and had no desire to listen to them gush about the fact that their own daughter was well acquainted with him. When she'd first accidentally let it slip that she knew Vlad Masters fairly well, her parents quickly called him up to arrange a meeting, which he'd surprisingly agreed to. Ever since then they'd talked about nothing else; they had even mentioned the fact that he was a single, rich bachelor, but Sam had quickly seen where that conversation was headed and shot down the idea forming in her parent's money-obsessed minds.

As the limo brought its occupants closer to the Masters mansion, Sam couldn't help but think about her friend that had disappeared so many months ago. It was almost Christmas and there had still been no sign of the missing Fenton boy. The authorities had decided that he must have died in one of the collapsing buildings, since no trace of the boy had ever been found to suggest otherwise. But Sam knew better—she'd seen him race off and lure the ogre out of town; had seen the place that his last battle had taken place. She knew that he was still alive, or they'd have found his body in that swamp. There was no evidence to suggest he'd died there, and even after it had been thoroughly searched, Danny Fenton remained missing.

Sighing heavily, Sam despaired at the thought of acting cordially to one of Danny's most powerful enemies, and definitely his most hated. Yet here she was, dressed in a semi-formal purple dress and driving to see the man who could be behind Danny's disappearance. _But he couldn't have taken Danny; Tucker and I would have seen some sign of him when we searched his mansion in June. _She smiled wryly at the surprised look on Vlad's face when he'd found them looking through one of the spare bedrooms on the third floor. Everything had been in order though; Vlad had been strangely willing to help them, and had even personally led them to every room in his house. _Although that doesn't mean he couldn't still have hidden something from us…even Danny himself. There could be secret rooms we don't even know about. And if he's not behind all of this, who is? _

Her depressing musings were interrupted as the door in front of her opened, revealing the large, ornate doors of the Masters Mansion. She crawled out of the limo after her enthralled parents, rolling her eyes as they gushed their praise of the enormous house.

"Oh my goodness, Samantha, just look at it! Isn't it marvelous?" Sam ignored her mother's enthusiastic exclamations, instead focusing on the door as it opened to reveal a stoic-looking butler. He bowed to the family, ushering them inside where the elder Mansons were awestruck by the 'incredibly lavish decorations' of the mansion. They walked through heavily adorned hallways until they finally arrived in what appeared to be a private study. She vaguely remembered it from her impromptu visit six months before, but her focus quickly centered on the comfortably dressed man standing in front of them.

"Ah, Miss Manson, it's good to see you again. And I presume that these are your wonderful parents?" Turning his attention away from her icy glare he was quickly introduced to Sam's parents, diving right into an in-depth conversation. None of the room's occupants seemed to remember her presence, which allowed her to scan the cozy room. It appeared normal, but an unnatural icy chill filled the room. _I wonder how many of his servants he has in here watching us, and what he's looking for. I never expected him to invite us here…what's he planning?_

Turning her attention back to the conversation, they seemed to be avidly engaged in business propositions. Both of her parents were eagerly leaning forward in their chairs, but the relaxed, non-committal pose of the famous billionaire gave the impression that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"We thought that perhaps you might be interested in backing one of our most recent research developments; a close friend of ours owns a small yet prestigious lab in Colorado and his scientists have recently made an astounding discovery. We managed to procure a wide sample of the ectoplasm that ghosts are made of, and they have found that most ghosts continue to grow and develop even after they are dead. We've heard of your mild interest in the subject and had hoped that you would be willing to back further research.

At the mention of ghosts the elderly man's posture completely changed. His full attention was focused on the Mansons, and his chin rested thoughtfully in his hand. He did not respond at first, instead studying the family intently. Sam averted her gaze, but was shocked to see two intense green eyes staring back at her. She jumped slightly out of her seat, but before she could do anything they disappeared and Vlad had risen out of his chair, shaking hands with her parents.

"I'd love to back this project in whatever way you would like. Unfortunately I have a previous appointment that I must leave for now or I will be horribly late. I hope you'll excuse me, I've had a lovely time."

Quickly ushering them to the door, he led them back out to their waiting limo.

"I hope we can meet again soon and sort this out, it's been a pleasure." Her parents reassured him that they would arrange another meeting soon and commented that they'd been honored to meet him; they began to push Sam back into the limo, but she started to protest.

"Not now, dear," her mother admonished her. "Mr. Masters is obviously a very busy man and we mustn't disturb him. He was gracious enough to allow us into his beautiful house." Turning back to the obviously impatient billionaire, Mrs. Manson smiled sweetly at him and said her final goodbyes.

_What happened back there? Who did he have spying on us? _Looking back out of the tinted windows, she saw him quickly retreat back into the mansion, disappearing behind the heavy doors. _Why was he in such a hurry to get us out of there? He's hiding something…but what?_ An answer quickly popped into her head, but she forced herself to push it away._ No, we searched the entire place. There was no sign of him there; we'd have found some sort of clue…_

Yet as they pulled back onto the highway, the memory of those hauntingly green eyes filled her vision and she couldn't help but think of how much they reminded her of Danny.

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Please let me know what you think of this one, or tell me that you're horribly angry with me for the long waits and will never read another one of my stories again. Either way I just want to know where I stand! Until next time…

TSW


	9. Chapter 9

*Note: re-edited version is up—the last one before I start in on chapter 10!*

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

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As the heavy doors shut behind him, Vlad Masters muttered an angry curse at himself for his foolishness. _I should have known the boy would deliberately disobey me, despite my direct orders that he stay in his room while the Mansons were here…He could have ruined everything! If the girl finds out that it was Daniel she saw, they'll be banging down my door and clamoring for his return. And with the uncertainty he's been showing lately, I wouldn't be surprised if he believed them. Curse his impudence!_

A large magenta ecto-blast left his hand and scorched a nearby wall, narrowly missing a large window. He could see the boy's room in front of him, a small sliver of light shining out from underneath the door. Without pausing to knock he phased into the large room, glaring at its interior until he found his target.

"Do you even know what you could have done? What might have happened? Everything could be ruined because of your foolish curiosity!" The huddled figure on the bed looked up sorrowfully, shame and fear darting across his face

"I'm sorry, Father, I just thought that—"

Vlad snorted impatiently, cutting the boy's excuse off with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, I see, you _thought_ that if you just perhaps got a look at her, you'd know what we were up against, is that it? Your faux pas may very well have cost us the entire operation! If she finds out that she saw you, and not just a reflection or another one of my servants, everything we've worked for these past months will be wasted. They'll expect you when we attack, and that's something that I won't risk. They cannot know that you're still alive!" Realizing that he was pacing the floor and agitating the boy more than was necessary, he halted in front of the oversized bed, forcing his face into a more calm expression. He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair as he studied the trembling being in front of him. Tears were streaking down the young boy's face, his eyes red and blotchy. As he realized Vlad seemed to have vented the worst of his anger, he ventured to speak.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for her to see me." When this remark elicited no response, he tried again. "She didn't seem that dangerous to me..." Raising an eyebrow at Danny's statement, Vlad shook his head in wonder.

"And that is why _I_ am the one planning this attack. Haven't I told you time and time again never to underestimate your foes? Just because Miss Manson doesn't look like a formidable opponent doesn't mean she isn't one. She's learned a great deal about ghosts and fighting them from the Fentons; she's the one you'll have to be the most wary of, Daniel. The girl has an uncanny way with words, and won't think twice about lying to you to try and sway you to her side. You mustn't believe anything that she tells you, do you understand me?"

As Danny nodded in response, Vlad moved towards the door.

"Good. Now you must remember to be more careful in the future, and if I give you instructions you are to follow them _to the letter_. One miss-step or careless mistake on your part will lose your mother to us forever." Danny visibly blanched at the statement, involuntarily shrinking back on his bed. Tears began to simmer anew in the young boy's bright blue eyes, threatening to spill over at the thought of losing his mother forever, a mother he couldn't even remember.

Smiling inwardly at the obvious impact this last statement made on the boy, Vlad left the room, giving the boy last minute instructions to meet him in the lab in a half hour for extra training for punishment despite the promised day off.

Phasing into his private study, he looked out the window in the direction the sleek black limo had taken, wondering how much Danny's forgotten friend had guessed. _If she realizes that she saw Daniel the consequences could be tremendous. They would launch an immediate attack on me, and I'm not prepared to have my home destroyed again. The boy is still too insecure in himself to take on a challenge like that; I'm almost sure I'd lose him at this point. If only there were a way I could make sure she doesn't figure it out, she's much too smart for her own good..._

He quickly turned away from the window and flew to his servant's call button. Almost immediately the stiff butler's voice echoed through the small white box.

"You called, my lord?"

"Send Skulker to my study, I have an important assignment for him. And tell him to hurry." He hardly heard the courteous 'Yes, sir' before he was back at the window, staring off at the lonely, winding road. Minutes later Skulker appeared, awaiting Vlad's orders with an obvious look of disgust on his face.

"You called?" He grudgingly asked, glaring daggers at the elder half ghost. Tsk-ing slightly, Vlad shook his head at his servant's demeanor.

"Why Skulker, that is no way to treat your betters. I thought you had learned better." A magenta ecto-blast shot past the metallic ghost's head, narrowly missing and smashing into the wall behind him. Gulping slightly, Skulker hurriedly explained himself.

"I just don't appreciate being summoned during the middle of a hunt. I was chasing down one of the more elusive species of Saber-monkey that inhabits the far end of the ghost zone, and he was just in my sights when—"

"Enough!" Vlad barked. "I don't care about your little escapades. Remember, you agreed to serve me. Keep that in mind next time you are summoned. The monkey will still be there when you're done with my assignment. Go to Amity Park and follow Miss Manson around for a few days. Make sure that she doesn't suspect Daniel's presence here; I want you to report back to me in one week if she still doesn't suspect my plans, but if she does then come back immediately so we can…deal with her." He smiled slightly at his own statement, the implications of it already fluttering through his mind.

Skulker bowed his head slightly in understanding, a large grin plastering itself on his mechanical face. "Of course, Plasmius. I'll leave right away."

The ghost quickly faded from sight, leaving Vlad alone in the study once more. Moving to his desk, he traced his fingers over the calendar laying on its surface, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"One month, that's the most time I can spare..." Picking up a nearby pen, he heavily circled the twenty-first of January. Smiling down at the calendar, he chuckled to himself.

"One month until I'll finally have everything I've been working for these past twenty-one and a half years-Jack Fenton will be destroyed, Maddie will be mine, and I'll have a loyal son who obeys my every word." He paused slightly, casually glancing looking down at the clock. Realizing that he only had a few minutes until Daniel would be downstairs in the lab, he casually threw the pen back down onto his desk and phased out of his study to prepare for the impromptu training lesson.

xxxx

The small yellow tennis ball flew up towards the ceiling, quickly descending back into the hands that had thrown it. Up it went again, this time hitting a small target that had been taped above the adolescent's head. Danny smiled, inwardly adding three points to his score. His father had cancelled training that morning, saying that he had more important details to take care of and that he would call for Danny later. Danny had been surprised, since he'd had double training since the Manson's had visited the month before, but he hadn't argued. It was now almost five, and Danny still hadn't heard from his father. So here he was, lying on his bed and trying to hit the bulls-eye with the tennis ball he'd found in his closet. It was harder than he'd first thought; he didn't throw the ball hard enough, or his fingers bent just enough to throw the ball far off of its intended goal. So far he'd hit the bulls-eye four times, and he'd been trying for almost an hour.

Suddenly a knock on his door reverberated through the large room, startling the blue-eyed boy enough that the tennis ball flew across the room. Scrambling across the bed, he flung himself toward the door, flinging it open to find Johnson standing in the hall.

"Your father wishes to speak with you in the laboratory at your earliest convenience, Master Daniel." Danny nodded his thanks and hurriedly phased down to the laboratory, knowing that despite his father's words if he didn't show up immediately the consequences would be harsh. As he landed on the now-familiar cold steel floor, his ghost sense went off. Looking around him, he gasped at the veritable sea of ghosts that were filling the laboratory. There were at least forty ghosts floating around, each one paying rapt attention to what his father was saying. At his entrance a few saw him and gasped, their eyes widening in surprise. Whispers started to fill the room, causing Vlad to turn around to see what the disturbance was.

"Ah, here he is." Beckoning Danny to his side, Vlad turned back to the crowd.

"This is the secret weapon I've been mentioning; I'm sure you all remember my _son_, Daniel." At his statement the whispers increased in volume, but none was brave enough to speak up. Vlad smiled down at Danny reassuringly, but Danny was too taken aback by the sheer amount of ghosts in the room to notice. _Wow, I don't think I've ever been around this many ghosts before….some of them seem familiar, but I can't place where I've seen them before…they've probably been around before helping Father out with his great plans. _His attention was pulled back to his father when he called out to still the whispers.

"I'm sure many of you are surprised to see him here; there were many rumors floating about that my _son_ had been killed, or at least had disappeared. I allowed these rumors to persist, for they only helped to encourage and enhance my plan. You see, if no one knew that Daniel was still alive, we can use him for our own purpose; he will be our secret weapon. The Fenton's will never see it coming." The crowd stayed silent, waiting further explanations._ I wonder why he keeps stressing that I'm his son; maybe some of them don't know that he had a son. That would explain some of their looks, I guess._

"Unfortunately," Vlad continued, "there was an accident seven months ago. Daniel was attacked, a plan most likely put in motion by our enemies." Confused looks crossed many of the ghost's features, and a few exchanged odd glances, but they remained silent. "In that attack, my son lost his memory. As of now he still has not regained it, but I am confident not to let this little 'issue' slow us down. The invasion will still continue as planned, with Daniel and myself leading it."

Danny gaped up at his father, reeling at the thought of leading an attack as the room erupted in conversation.

"But Father, I don't have any experience leading anything. I'll just mess everything up, and then we'll never get mom back." Vlad clasped Danny's shoulder firmly, staring down at the boy with his piercing gaze.

"You'll be fine, Danny. I won't even bring you in until close to the end, when they'll be tiring the most. This way we'll have the greatest impact of you on them and can easily defeat them, and we can reduce the amount of time they might have to sway you with their lies. I have the utmost confidence in you, of course, but just as a precaution we will place your attack near the end."

Danny remained silent, trying to soak in all that he'd just been told in a matter of seconds. _Woah, me lead an attack? I don't know if I can do it…I've already messed so much up. How can he trust me so much? Even if it is the last attack of the battle, how does he know I'll do it right? How do I know I even want to do it?_ Danny quickly reeled away from his last thought, appalled that it had even crossed his mind. Steeling himself, he resolutely nodded up at his father, trying to seem brave and confident. Seeing this, his father nodded his approval, but Danny knew that he'd seen the internal struggle he'd gone through. _Please don't let me mess up now…_

Vlad turned back to the crowd, quickly hushing them by continuing with his speech.

"The time for our advance has come. The Fentons and their allies are weak and vulnerable right now; they doubt their friendship and their abilities, and their group is quickly crumbling apart. We will take advantage of this, and strike quickly. Prepare your groups for advancement; we will leave here at 7am sharp on the twenty-first. Do not be late."

Sending a glancing glare around the room, Vlad spun around, guiding Danny along with him. As they left the room, Danny glanced back over his shoulder, taking in the shocked and confused faces that followed their advancement out of the laboratory. They were quickly blocked by the wall, and Danny turned his puzzled face up towards his father.

"A week? Why so soon? Shouldn't we wait for a while? I don't think I'm ready yet…"

They emerged into Vlad's library, the soft lamp-light dimly illuminating the vast room. The older man turned to look down into his son's face, thoughtfully studying it.

"You are ready, Danny, no matter what you might think or feel. We've been training straight for the past seven months, and you've regained all of your old abilities and many new ones. I'm quite proud of you." Danny beamed shyly under the blatant praise, a stark contrast to what he was used to hearing in training.

"You really think so?" He asked quietly, hopefully looking up at his father. _I want to do well; I want to make Father happy. I want to prove to him that I'm not worthless, that I can really do this. And I want Mother to come back to us and see that we're still the same people that we were before the accident. We're not monsters; we're still human__**…**__well mostly._

Vlad smiled at him, nodding his affirmation. "I know so. Now go upstairs and tell Johnson to get you a good dinner; you need to get your strength up to its maximum. We'll only have mild training until the attack. I don't want you to injure yourself."

Danny nodded in agreement, inwardly smiling at his father's praise.

"Good boy. Now run off and get a good night's sleep. We'll start training tomorrow at normal time."

Danny beamed, confidence radiating from him as he nodded his understanding and ran from the room. Quickly making his way to the kitchen, he had the cook fix him a plate of dinner and took it to his bedroom where he could try and sift through the events that had just taken place.

_Wow, one week from now I'll have a mother again…I can't even remember what it's like to have a mom._ He smiled wryly at his own thought, slowly chewing his way through his food. _I can't even remember anything before the accident._ A sudden thought flew across his mind, and he dropped his back onto his plate._ But how do I even know my mom wants to come back, or that she ever even loved us? We seem pretty happy in the pictures, but if she was selfish enough to hate us when nothing really happened to our personalities, do we really want her back? Sure it would be nice to have a mom around, but if she couldn't accept us for who we are, why does Father want her back so badly?_

He frowned into his mashed potatoes, wondering what his father's real motives were behind the attack. _He's so focused on the revenge part of it, but if he wants revenge why doesn't he target Mom too? She's the one who rejected us, right? Jack Fenton only made the invention, it's not like he maliciously went out of his way to harm us…but what about everyone else? Like Jack's daughter…I guess she might hate us because of her dad. And her friends just follow her, but I still can't see why they hate us so much. We never did anything to harm them, and we didn't ever try, as far as I know._

Danny pushed himself away from his unfinished dinner, crossing over to the window to stare up at the starry sky. _I don't understand any of this, it all just seems so pointless to me. Why are we even doing this?_ Sighing heavily, he silently pleaded with the heavens for an answer to his questions. _I just wish I had my memories back, or that I had some sign that what we're doing is the right thing. None of it seems right anymore, and I don't know what to think. He's my father; I have no reason not to trust him. He's done everything for me, and I'm turning my back on him because of one silly girl. _

He ran his hands through his thick black hair in frustration, lowering his head down to the windowsill. _That's another problem; the Manson girl, the same one that's been haunting my dreams since I got here. She doesn't seem harmful, but Father said I have to be careful around her. I wonder if she's some kind of sorceress, sending me these dreams to try and turn me away from my father. _Danny snorted lightly, quickly shaking the thought off into oblivion. _That's just silly, she's no sorceress, and even if she was, everyone thinks I'm dead or missing. None of them have any reason to expect me next week, and I'll just have to do my best to follow father's orders. There must be a reason for all of this that I can't see because of the accident; I just only wish I knew what it was._

Turning from the window, he changed his clothes and dragged himself into bed, ignoring the uneaten food still lying on the table. He quickly fell into an uneasy sleep, slipping into a vivid dream. _The girl was once again calling for him, but this time she seemed more agitated than ever before. _

'_Danny, please come back to us!' He quickly stepped back from her, shaking his head. _

'_No, I won't join you. You're the enemy.' Not seeming to h ear him, she continued with her plea._

'_Please, Danny, don't trust him. He's not your real father. Come back to us, Danny, don't fall for his lies. Trust your instinct.' Her bright violet eyes pierced into him, and he could feel his resolve to resist her efforts quickly fading away. _

'_He's my father; why shouldn't I trust him? Why should I trust you? You're the enemy! You're just trying to turn me against my family!' By now he was trembling with fear, his desire to leave his father and join his enemy growing with each word she spoke._

'_Come back to us, Danny. We miss you…I miss you…come back.' Slowly she faded into the misty background, dissolving into nothingness as her words reverberated around the lost and confused boy._

'_No, I won't. I won't….' he whispered to himself. 'It's not the right thing…is it?'_

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Muahahahaa, what's Danny going to do! Will he listen to his dreams or trust his 'father's' words? Who knows…except for me. :) Wow this came out long…I was only expecting a couple pages, and it's up to 6. Please leave me a review and keep me motivated!

TSW


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